Ten years on, the restoration of Maine's Kennebec River continues to produce surprising and exciting results all throughout the watershed Photos (c) Linwood Riggs Alewives can now swim freely to the top of the Sebasticook River, 70 miles upstream from the former Edwards Dam. State fisheries biologists estimate the number of alewives returning to the Kennebec at approximately 2 million; which means it is among the largest river-herring runs in the United States! Read more environmental benefits of the Kennebec River restoration Boaters and anglers have returned to the area in large numbers. Prior to removal of the Edwards Dam, access to the Kennebec River from Waterville to Augusta was difficult and slow without a sizeable motorboat. Today, kayakers and canoeists can select any number of day-long canoe trips along the river, from Waterville to Sidney, Sidney to Augusta or Waterville to Augusta. Read more recreational and economic benefits of the Kennebec River restoration Check out the recent local news articles: Kennebec Journal: Back from the Breaching - June 22, 2009 Portland Press Herald: Historic Removal of Dam Uncorked Flood of Benefits - June 13, 2009 Bangor Daily News: Kennebec Shad Runs Positive for Penobscot - June 13, 2009 Kennebec Journal: Welcoming Back the American Shad - June 3, 2009 What's the Dam Point? - An article in Bates University magazine on the economic studies professor Lynne Lewis has done on the Kennebec.