Water cascades over the dam Thursday afternoon on the lower part of Rumford Falls after recent heavy rains swelled the Androscoggin River in Rumford. Brookfield Renewable Partners is seeking to renew its license with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to continue generating at Rumford Falls Hydro for the next 40 years. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

RUMFORD — With a vertical drop of 175 feet, Rumford Falls on the Androscoggin River is considered the highest waterfall east of Niagara Falls.

“That’s what we have always understood,” said George O’Keefe, Jr., the town’s economic development director. “That includes the full set of cascades that’s almost a mile worth of river channel.”

But a Niagara-like waterfall is not evident much of the year when barely a trickle of water drips over the upper falls, except during the melting snows of spring and following a heavy rainstorm. Instead, most of the river water is diverted to a set of dams owned by Brookfield Renewable Partners to create hydro power.

Brookfield is seeking to renew its license with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to continue generating at Rumford Falls Hydro for the next 40 years. While some sportsmen’s groups are seeking changes to require Brookfield to send more water over the falls, the town of Rumford is largely supportive of the power company’s application.

“We’re doing very well with Brookfield and have had a really positive dialog with them,” O’Keefe said. “We have found them to be an excellent community partner on recreation.”

Brookfield also provides the town with 24% of its tax base, nearly twice as much as the Rumford Mill.

Water cascades over the dam Thursday afternoon on the lower part of Rumford Falls after recent heavy rains swelled the Androscoggin River in Rumford. Brookfield Renewable Partners is seeking to renew its license with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to continue generating at Rumford Falls Hydro for the next 40 years. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

The one change the town is seeking is to have 10 special release days on the lower falls on weekends below Memorial Bridge. That would create whitewater recreational opportunities such as kayaking, canoeing and potentially rafting, O’Keefe said. He added that Brookfield appeared willing to honor that request.

Steve Heinz, from the Maine Council of Trout Unlimited, said he would like to see the water flow over the falls all the time, not just 10 extra days.

“What we’re asking is to put water back into the river, where it should be,” Heinz said. “It’s not a radical proposal. It’s pretty simple.”

“We don’t want all the water over the falls, all the time,” he added.

His group is seeking a daily flow of 250 cubic feet per second, which he described as a low percentage of the 3,000 cubic feet per second that flows through the power station. He admits that such a requirement would lessen the amount of power generated by the plant and cut into profits. He said that is part of being a good steward.

The dams were first built in the early 20th century to provide power to the paper mill. Brookfield acquired the plant in 2005, through a subsidiary. According to Heinz, Brookfield owns more than 80% of the hydro generating capacity in the state.

“The last time this was licensed, the power was supplied directly to the mill,” Heinz said. “With Maine mill towns, the mill was everything, and nobody screws with the mill. A lot of these licenses and conditions were written extremely friendly to the mill to try to keep the mill open.”

While sportsmen’s groups say the change would benefit fishing and wildlife in the river, O’Keefe pushed back on the notion that the habitat is hampered by the current infrastructure. Sportsmen describe the canal that circles the downtown island as an industrial canal — which it is not, he said.

“It has rainbow trout, and it has a lot of really nice habitat, including a beaver lodge,” O’Keefe said. “I feel very strongly that the sportsman groups are not acknowledging the quality of the habitat that exists in the canal.”

Water cascades over the dam and down the 65-foot drop Thursday afternoon on the upper part of Rumford Falls after recent heavy rains swelled the Androscoggin River in Rumford. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has already given a conditional approval for the water quality in the river as part of the recertification process. According to its report, the Maine DEP wrote that the plan “will result in all waters affected by the project being suitable for all designated uses and meeting all other applicable water quality standards.”

The Clean Water Act was in its infancy the last time the plant faced recertification 30 years ago, Heinz said. “People didn’t grasp the implication of the act and how it could be applied and enforced.”

“It’s in their best interest to keep the license the way it is,” said Heinz, who hopes to change the terms in Brookfield’s license.

Rumford, however, has found a community partner with which to work and grow.

“I don’t think that Brookfield gets enough credit for being a good community citizen,” O’Keefe said. “We recognize that there are challenges in other river systems throughout the state, but they are a great community partner and a cornerstone of how we are able to pay for public schools and have some quality services here. We really appreciate working with them.”