The West Branch project has been ongoing for over 20 years, and work will continue for many years to come.
Current work
In 2026, DSF is contracting with C.A. White & Associates, a hydrological and environmental consulting firm, to conduct investigatory work using $75,000 in funding secured through Maine DMR. The goal of this evaluation will be to assess and address questions about water quality and groundwater that were identified as a priority in earlier studies.
The study will examine current and future impacts to private drinking water wells and septic systems from potential tidal reintroduction and evaluate options to mitigate those impacts. DSF is currently conducting outreach to property owners to collect additional info for the study. Additionally, C.A. White and Associates is working directly with the Addison Point Water District (APWD) on an assessment of the APWD’s capacity and future resiliency.
This year, work also continues by Downeast Salmon Federation’s (DSF) contractor, Inter-Fluve, on a report evaluating alternatives for the road crossings at Addison Rd, Point St, Water St, and Ridge Rd under different scenarios. These scenarios take into account factors such as planning horizons for sea level rise, inclusion of marsh restoration, and amount of tidal return. The report will be released later this year.
Additionally, DSF is working with Inter-Fluve to develop a Preliminary Design Report (PDR) for an improved road crossing at Point and Water Streets. The PDR will align with Maine DOT standards and will facilitate implementation when or if construction funding is secured in the future.
What’s to come
Currently, the project is still in the “planning and development” phase, and the future timeline depends heavily on availability of funding, organizational capacity, and public safety considerations.
Ongoing actions include:
- Continue to build public-awareness and support for the returning of the tide and restoration of the West Branch Pleasant River tidal marsh.
- Support Technical Advisory Committee analyses and MaineDOT decision-making on infrastructure improvements.
While DSF and other project collaborators support increased tidal transparency for habitat and wildlife, MaineDOT is primarily concerned about maintaining roadway structures and improving public safety. In 2027, MaineDOT will repair the Addison Rd crossing by installing an in-kind replacement and conduct outreach according to their standardized process.
Eventually, MaineDOT’s commitment to maintaining safe roads means they will need to replace the deteriorating Ridge Rd bridge. The ongoing studies and outreach efforts are an important part of deciding what changes will be made to the tide gates (if any) when designs for the bridge replacement are being prepared.
In the event that there is community support to change or remove the tide gates, a phased approach would be necessary; both to gradually transition the landscape while also minimizing impacts to local residents. Like with any large restoration project, ongoing management through continuous oversight, community input and engagement, and active monitoring of the waterway would be core components to this restoration effort.
Project History
2022-2025
Experts from a range of local and statewide organizations formed the West Branch Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) in early 2023.
Since then, Downeast Salmon Federation has coordinated the project with funding and support from the Maine Coastal Program, NOAA Office for Coastal Management’s Coastal Zone Management program, Maine DMR, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund. DSF’s role includes moderating committee meetings, working with contractors, and coordinating community engagement. The Coordinating and Outreach Committees were formed in 2025.
Starting in 2023, the engineering firm Interfluve, Inc. was contracted by DSF to complete updated monitoring in the West Branch system and produce reports based on their findings and modeling. In June of 2025, a report was released detailing the existing conditions of the West Branch system, followed by accompanying reference materials for landowners and community members.
2016-2019
Following the 2010 town vote, there was a lull in project activity. Then, between 2016-2018, the Army Corps of Engineers performed a feasibility study for tide gate removal, with the results published in 2019. This report recommended removing the tide gates and restoring salt marsh habitat, which would benefit wildlife, reduce mosquito breeding, and improve local aesthetic value. Unfortunately, despite the recommendations from the 2009 Robinson study, this new analysis did not adequately address impacts on private lands and wells, nor did it take into account sea level rise. As a result, no decision was made, and control of the project was transferred to the Maine Department of Marine Resources (Maine DMR).
2008-2010
In 2008, The West Branch Study Committee contracted Robinson Resources, LLC to perform a groundwater study and examine the effects of a proposed partial opening the gates. The results were released in 2009, and the report was made available at the Addison Town Office. The broad conclusion was that restoring tidal flow would affect groundwater, including wells and septic systems, and that more work was needed to determine the extent of these impacts. The next year, the Town held another meeting and this time voted to maintain the status quo and leave the tide gates in place, to avoid risking negative impacts to residents’ water quality.
2003-2007
In 2003, the towns of Addison and Columbia supported the formation of the West Branch Study Committee. At this time, the tide gates were beginning to show signs of age, and new information had recently become available on the consequences of tidal restriction on salt marshes. The Committee’s role was to work with outside resources, gather and study information, and make recommendations so the townspeople could make informed decisions on management of their coastal marshes and the West Branch. The committee’s early work resulted in a town vote in 2004, which favored removing the clappers and returning the tide to the West Branch. During this time, the group produced numerous reports, studying regional factors including water levels, soil salinity, vegetation, and aquatic wildlife, some of which are available in the Addison Town Office.