NAPLES, Maine – Environmental experts expect local salmon populations in Sebago Lake to thrive after a historic dam was removed last month.

The Edes Falls Dam in the city of Naples has served as a reminder of the city's beginnings for decades, but environmental experts said the landmark poses a problem for local salmon, which need the entire Crooked River upstream to spawn.

Jim Westcott, partner and project manager for the Maine Council of Trout Unlimited, said the problem became apparent after a state spawning survey was conducted in 2014.

“They thought they were going to find 300 spawning pits along the entire river,” Westcott said. “But they actually found over two thousand spawning pits.”

Although some salmon are stocked by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, conservationists quickly realized that under current conditions the river might be able to produce all the salmon needed to sustain Sebago Lake's fish population.

Without the dam's demolition, 80 percent of salmon breeding grounds would be blocked, says Colin Holme, executive director of the Lakes Environmental Association and a partner in the demolition project.

“Planning actually began before 2019 and has evolved over time,” said Holme.

Several other partners supported the dam removal, including the Sebago Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, the Maine Council of Trout Unlimited, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, The Natural Conservancy, the Sebago Rotary Club and more.

After a city vote in June to demolish the dam, supporters like Holme expressed hope that the community could find a shared space to share with the area's aquatic life in place of the dam.

“It was a beautiful, historic dam and I don't think anyone took it lightly,” Holme said. “The historic structure is a loss, but the gain will benefit the native landlocked salmon of Sebago Lake.”

Partners who helped remove the dam said stones from the structure will now be reused for future city projects.

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