Since 1972 I have spent a significant part of each year on Richardson Lake. I have found it to be a quiet, pristine habitat for all the flora and fauna that is treasured in Maine.

This environment has been preserved and protected by a settlement agreement for the upper Androscoggin River water storage and the management of the dams, of which Brookfield Renewables is the project owner.

This year the water level on the lake has been lowered to below 1442.03 feet mean sea level, or below 8 feet from full pond. This is well below the required minimum level specified in the settlement agreement. Richardson is the only lake in the area with a level below the minimum required.

Besides the inconvenience to boaters, fishermen, camp, and business owners, this has created an environmental catastrophe. Loons can’t nest, and the few that tried had the chicks killed as soon as they hatched. Fish can’t spawn, and even insects can’t reproduce.

Since there is an agreed-upon minimum water level, I wonder why Brookfield is not being held to this requirement. If it is not held to this required minimum level, the environment of Richardson Lake is being changed forever.

Joan McGill, Carthage


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