Corporate users of the river must remember the resource belongs to everyone

The Androscoggin River gave birth to the Twin Cities of Lewiston and Auburn. The Native Americans and the early European settlers recognized the beauty and the life-giving power of the river and its capability to foster and nurture settlement, growth and prosperity. The river has never stopped providing these benefits. As the snow has melted, the enduring majesty of the river and the Great Falls have been on display for all to see.

Of late, there are hopeful signs our community leaders are coming to recognize the river’s potential as an engine to drive the economic revival of the Twin Cities. The Lewiston City Council has entered in a long-term relationship with Winston Hospitality Inc. to develop the area at Island Point. Using tax incentives and public investment, the city hopes to leverage its modest outlay into a multimillion dollar resource in the heart of downtown. The infrastructure planned on the Auburn side of the river may also be the catalyst for further riverside economic development.

To sustain and nourish this effort, however, much must be done to restore the river to its past grandeur. A visit to view the falls and the rushing water makes one immediately aware that the river continues to suffer. There is a palpable and not altogether pleasant odor emanating from the river. The color of the water does not give one confidence it is clean.

The river is the heart and soul of our communities. Revitalization of the Twin Cities will follow restoration of the river, which will bring people downtown. Scores of other cities have accomplished rebirth using their rivers as the focus. We can do it here.

Here, however, this wonderful public resource continues to be controlled by corporate interests. They determine what goes into the river, how much water goes over the falls, and the water composition. After weeks of hearings, including many here in Auburn, the Board of Environmental Protection recently issued its decision concerning the status of the river.

As argued by the Androscoggin River Alliance, the BEP decision requires those corporations that discharge into the river to renew their Clean Water Act discharge licenses by 2010. The corporations had sought to maintain their current licenses until 2015. The Androscoggin River Alliance will be working closely with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and others to insure that the 2010 licenses will clearly establish the parameters necessary to restore the river.

The BEP decision made clear that the primary areas of controversy concerning restoration of the river lie not between the alliance and the corporate interests, but between those corporations themselves. Florida Power & Light, which controls both the dam at the end of Gulf Island Pond and the flow of water over the Great Falls, has appealed the decision. The paper industry is also likely to respond.

The dispute now appears to center on which of these corporations – all of which have exploited the river’s bounty for decades – will be responsible for the cost of a second oxygen injection system, as mandated by the BEP. If installed, this system might bring Gulf Island Pond to the lowest compliance standard of the Clean Water Act.

There are no appeals by any citizens group.

While the corporations continue to spend hundreds of thousands or more dollars on litigation, the citizens suffer and economic development is delayed. The corporate users of the river must be made to understand that this resource belongs to us all. The river must be restored and our leaders must jointly develop plans to maximize its potential as a natural, clean resource that will draw tourists, residents and business to the community.

The recent proposal spearheaded by the Androscoggin River Alliance to create a state park on the Androscoggin in Turner appears to be a great place to start.

Neglect and wasteful behavior almost destroyed the Androscoggin, the life-giving force of our cities. Great progress has been made. We now owe it to ourselves, our children and our grandchildren to complete the restoration and re-establish the vitality of our communities.

Laurence A. Faiman of Auburn is a member of the board of directors of the Androscoggin River Alliance.