LISBON — A dam on the Sabattus River breached during a recent rainy spell, leaving in its wake chunks of brick and concrete in the riverbed and erosion along the banks of a downstream park.

A state official visited the Upper Dam on Thursday and determined that no state approval is needed to repair the structure.

Erle Townsend, who issues licenses for the Division of Land Resources Regulation at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, said the town, which owns the dam, can repair and maintain the structure without special permitting from his agency.

Town officials had sought state input following the breach.

What appeared to be an old sluice-way that had been blocked off by a pair of stop logs apparently let go when the iron post at the center of the logs failed, Townsend said.

The town had hoped to repair the dam as quickly as possible, he said.

“As far as I’m concerned, for the repair work and to put that post back and re-establish the stop logs, they don’t need any permit from the DEP,” he said. “They can go ahead and do that immediately.”

Townsend said he didn’t know what the price of repairing the dam might be.

“I haven’t got a clue in the world,” he said.

The dam appears to date back 80 or more years, with several iterations of construction, he said. The dam’s original purpose was unknown to him. The town apparently took over ownership from the original owner.

Similar repairs were made by the town about 15 years ago.

If the town were to decide to remove the dam instead or repairing it, that would be a “whole different ball of wax,” Townsend said. A dam removal process is subject to state review and possibly federal agencies. The dam is not federally licensed, Townsend said.

Town officials could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Bob Morey, who lives near the dam in a residential area along the northeast bank of the river, said he worried about the survival of fish in the river due to the low water level.

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