Environmental Studies Quick Links
Forest City Dam | East Grand Lake
SCWIC's Acquisition & Plans for the Dam
The St. Croix International Waterway Commission is pleased to announce that on (date), 2026, we have successfully acquired ownership of the Forest City Dam. ​As the new owner, we will have direct oversight of the dam, while Woodland Pulp, LLC will still be responsible for its operations and maintenance as per a signed Operations, Access, and Maintenance Agreement (OA&MA). The acquisition and subsequent surrender of the dam's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license ensures the dam will no longer be operated for hydropower purposes, and will instead be managed for the purposes of fisheries, wildlife conservation, recreation, and flood protection. This will be done with a bi-national focused approach, aligned with the organization's mission to protect and enhance the natural and recreational values of the St. Croix International Waterway.
To ensure the dam will continue to be operated in a safe and secure manner, the Province of New Brunswick and the State of Maine have formed a Technical Oversight Committee (TOC), with respect to the previously stated management goals, without consideration for the downstream hydropower generation. There will been no major changes to how the dam was operated under its old license, and because the surrender of the dam includes no ground disturbance or effect on wetland or upland habitats, any effects of terrestrial resources would not be a result of the change in ownership.
About The Forest City Dam
​The Forest City Dam is an international dam built on the outlet of East Grand Lake in 1840, with the intention to be used for log driving. It was later rebuilt in 1965 to its current structure, and to this day it is a key piece of infrastructure due to the critical role it plays in water level management, ecological stability, and recreational access along East Grand Lake and the Upper St. Croix River. ​
​
In 2016, Woodland Pulp LLC (the most recent past owner and operator since 2023) applied to surrender its license because owning and operating the dam did not line up economically for the company anymore. As a part of this proposal, it was included that the two gates on the dam that control the flow of the east branch of the St. Croix River be removed due to safety concerns, maintenance costs, and overall lack of importance. This led to the discussion of complete removal of the dam-as it was not a mandatory structure regardless of its past help in managing the St. Croix-however, its removal would have resulted in drastic water level changes leading to the ruin of an important fishery, as well as, greatly affecting recreational activities like camping and fishing in the East Grand Lake area.
​
​