Lewiston Takes Ownership Of Canals For Planned Renewal

LEWISTON, Maine - Officials with Lewiston, Maine, and a renewable power company say they have completed an agreement to donate a system of canals to the city.
 
City officials say the agreement with Brookfield Renewable finalizes a decade-long effort to take ownership of the canal system. Lewiston officials say they wanted the canals to "improve the aesthetics of the system,'' with an end goal of returning the canals to the tree-lined waterways that were once a part of the city.
 
Brookfield Renewable vice president of operations Tom Uncher says Lewiston's project will highlight "an important part of the region's history'' and contribute to the city's economic growth.
 
The canals were constructed mostly by Irish immigrants. City administrator Ed Barrett says the canals were donated to the city by Brookfield at no cost.