Update regarding Webber Pond Fishway Project/Delay in Dam Road re-opening

Update regarding Webber Pond Fishway Project/Delay in Dam Road re-opening Matt Streeter, Maine Rivers 09/17/25

As can be seen from the photo below, significant progress has been made on the upgrade to the Webber Pond Fishway, but there is a fair bit of work yet to be done. After a slow start at the beginning of the summer, we thought we could make up time, especially with the good weather, but we have not been able to get caught up to schedule as quickly as hoped. We still expect to complete the work requiring an “in-water” component by September 30, as required by the federal and state permits. (That is, the stream-side entrance and the pond-side exit of the fishway will be completed and backfilled, the sandbags will be out of the pond, and the water diversion culvert will be out of the stream, with the stream flowing freely.) The concrete placement of the floor of the fishway, as well as the walls at the entrance to the fishway, is scheduled to be completed tomorrow. However, the Dam Road will need to remain closed for an additional two to four weeks of construction, potentially through the end of October. During that time, the walls at the fishway exit and the center portion of the fishway will be completed, and the rest of the site will be back-filled and graded. Part of the delay will be due to the fact that each section of the fishway walls need to cure for seven days after the concrete is placed, before we can safely backfill around them. That imposes unavoidable delays as we wrap up the final steps. We apologize for any inconvenience that this additional road closure causes to Dam Road and McQuarrie Road residents.