Royal River Alliance
Promoting a healthy watershed from the river’s source to the sea.
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Bridge St. Dam removal starts summer 2026
Restoring the Royal River
Hundreds of aging dams that were once essential to communities across Maine are no longer serving their intended purposes. Worse, they continue to damage the habitats and ecosystems associated with the rivers they obstruct.
Yarmouth’s two dams on the Royal River are an unfortunate example of how these relics impede the restoration of precious riverine habitat. From Sabbathday Lake to Casco Bay, the Yarmouth dams impact fish, birds, and animals that depend on the river’s resources by blocking access, slowing river flows, altering habitat and degrading water quality.
The Royal River Alliance was formed to promote a vision of a healthy watershed from the river's origin to the sea. Our vision calls for shared understanding and responsibility for both the harm to the environment as well as our shared priority to heal it.
Healing starts with dam removal. Nature will do the rest.
Bridge Street Dam Yarmouth, ME
About the Royal River
The Royal River begins at the outlet of Sabbathday Lake in New Gloucester, grows with tributaries flowing from Auburn, Gray, Pownal, Durham, Freeport and N. Yarmouth, and joins the Casco Bay in Yarmouth, Maine—with 141 square miles of watershed. In the 1800’s, sea-run fish like salmon, shad, alewife and blueback herring were present in the river. Today, sea-run fish are unable to swim upstream as both the Bridge and Elm Street dams in Yarmouth block fish passage and have non-functional fishways.
About Us
The Royal River Alliance (RRA) was formed in 2019 to promote a collaborative approach to restoring the Royal River. In 2026, we became a federally recognized 501(c)(3), enabling us to expand programs, accept tax-deductible donations, and pursue grants.
RRA members are local residents who care about the river’s health. We are concerned about limited fish passage, reduced connectivity with Casco Bay and overall ecosystem decline. Our diverse membership includes teachers, students, engineers, fishermen, scientists, and volunteers. We are an independent community organization.
Mission
Our Mission is to responsibly restore the health and natural processes of the Royal River to allow aquatic life to freely move between the Royal River and Casco Bay of southern Maine. We seek to collaborate with others and support strategies to remedy this problem, including removal of the impassable Bridge and Elm Street dams in Yarmouth, Maine. We invite community members to join us in this mission.
To view Royal River restoration updates click here.
Elm Street Dam Yarmouth, ME
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