The owner of the former Bucksport paper mill is asking the Department of Environmental Protection to release the company from ownership of three dams in the area.
Bucksport Mill LLC currently owns the dams that impound Silver Lake, Toddy Pond and Alamoosook Lake.
Town manager Susan Lessard said residents are concerned, after the company sent out letters suggesting the dams would release water. But that is not how the state process works, Lessard said.
"I believe strongly in process," Lessard said. "And I think that working through that process with all the stakeholders, and there are many involved, we'll come up with a better result. And it won't allow Bucksport Mill to just step away from it."
Although the company has filed a notice of intent, a spokesperson for the DEP today said the department has not received a formal petition. Under state law, the petition must be accepted by the department, which will then assess any potential new owners and consider if the state should take ownership of the dams.
Silver Lake is the drinking water source for several area towns, Alamoosook Lake contains a fish hatchery and Toddy Pond is a significant recreational draw for the region, Lessard said.
"These aren't dams that are located out in the middle of nowhere, that regulate something that was once part of a logging operation," she said. "These are important dams."
Lessard said that state law outlines the evaluation process to give up dam ownership, and at this early stage, residents do not need to be concerned about the effect on the lakes.
