Title 38, Title 38

On the day appointed, the county commissioners shall meet, examine the premises described in the petition and hear the parties present, and thereupon they shall determine whether said ways shall be raised and the water vents enlarged and to what extent, and shall prescribe the ma…

If the decision is in favor of the plaintiffs, said commissioners shall direct the town, in writing, to make the alterations prescribed and fix the time within which the same shall be done, and if not done within the time fixed, the same may be done by the plaintiffs. Whether by …

If the decision of the county commissioners is against the plaintiffs, they shall pay the costs of the hearing, taxed as in other cases before county commissioners.

Any party aggrieved may appeal from the decision of said commissioners in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as in case of highways.

This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Maine Dam Registration, Abandonment and Water Level Act."

As used in this Article, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. [PL 1983, c. 417, §6 (NEW).] 1. Board. 2. Commissioner. 3. Dam. "Dam" means any human-made artificial barrier, including appurtenant works, the site on which it is lo…

1. Other laws. Except as specifically provided in this Article, nothing in this Article shall be construed as relieving any person from duties, responsibilities or liabilities imposed by any other statute, regulation, municipal ordinance or any rule of law. 2. Rights of others. E…

1. Power. The commissioner may on the commissioner's own motion and shall, at the request of the owner, lessee or person in control of a dam, the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife or the Commissioner of Marine Resources, or upon receipt of petitions from the lesser of…

1. Prohibition. After issuance of an order under section 840, subsection 5, establishing a water level regime for any body of water, no owner, lessee or person in control of any dam impounding the body of water, nor any subsequent transferee, may operate or maintain the dam or ca…

All orders of the State Soil and Water Conservation Commission or the Commissioner of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources issued under former Title 12, section 304 continue in effect and must be enforced by the commissioner until they expire or are rescinded or amended under th…

The commissioner shall review an ordinance submitted pursuant to Title 30‑A, chapter 187, subchapter VI for consistency with this article. If the commissioner determines that the ordinance includes all substantive provisions of this article and includes all provisions required by…

When an owner of a mill or of the dam necessary for working the mill thinks it necessary to rebuild or repair it in whole or in part, the owner may apply in writing to a notary public in the county where the mill is situated, or if partly in 2 counties, to a notary public in eith…

At such meeting, whether all the owners attend or not, the owners in interest of at least 1/2 of such mill or dam may rebuild or repair so far as to make them serviceable; and shall be reimbursed out of said mill or its profits what they advanced therefor beyond their proportions…

If they are not reimbursed by the profits of the mill or paid by the other owners within 6 months after the work is completed, they may charge 1% a month on the amount advanced, from the end of 6 months until so reimbursed. If a delinquent owner dies or alienates the delinquent o…

Where any part of such mill or dam at the time of meeting and notice is owned by minors, tenants by curtesy, in tail, for life or years, or by mortgagor or mortgagee, the guardians of such minors, such tenant, mortgagor or mortgagee shall be deemed, for the purposes of sections 8…

The owner or occupant of every grist mill shall keep scales and weights therein to weigh corn, grain and meal, when required. The owner or occupant shall well and sufficiently grind as required, according to the nature, capacity and condition of the mill, all grain brought to the…

The toll for grinding, cleansing and bolting all kinds of grain shall not exceed 1/16 part thereof.

1. Petition. The owner of a dam that is not licensed or exempted from licensure by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission may petition the department to initiate proceedings for release from dam ownership or water level maintenance under this article. The petition must include …

1. Consultation required. Within 210 days of filing a petition pursuant to section 901, a dam owner shall consult with the persons and entities listed in subsection 3 to determine whether any of them wish to assume ownership of the dam. During the consultation period, the dam own…

1. Notification of agencies. If a new owner was not located during the consultation process and the department has not rejected the petition, the department shall immediately notify the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Department of Marine Resources, the Departmen…

If a new owner has not been located through the process set forth in sections 902 and 903, the department shall provide notice that a new owner for the dam has not been located and that the department intends to issue an order requiring the dam owner to release water from the dam…

1. Order. Not earlier than 30 days after providing notice as required in section 904, the department shall issue an order to the dam owner to release water from the dam in a manner that minimizes the impact of the release, including requirements for mitigation as appropriate. If …

1. Compensation. A dam owner is not prohibited from requesting compensation for the transfer of a dam pursuant to this article. The department may not issue a water release order pursuant to section 905 to a dam owner who has refused to transfer the dam to a person willing to ass…

A dam owner may at any time withdraw a petition filed under this article.

The municipal legislative body, as defined in Title 30‑A, section 2001, of any municipality notified pursuant to section 901, subsection 2 must consider and act on the issue of dam ownership at a public meeting. The meeting must be held no later than 180 days after the municipal …

To the extent existing resources are available, when one or more municipalities seek ownership of a dam, the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry may provide grants and technical assistance to the participating municipality or municipalities or to regional plannin…

Any person, firm or corporation which may be entitled to the rights and benefits provided for in this chapter is authorized and empowered to build, maintain and operate dams and other necessary works and structures, including side dams, embankments, ditches and drains, on lands o…

Any person, firm or corporation authorized and empowered to build, maintain and operate pipes, conduits, penstocks, tunnels and canals under section 931 is further authorized and empowered to exercise the right of eminent domain by taking and holding as for public uses in the man…

Any person, firm or corporation authorized and empowered to augment stored water by pumping or otherwise under section 931 and acquire by eminent domain for public uses, lands and rights-of-way for pipes, conduits, penstocks, tunnels and canals under section 932 is authorized and…