Westport Island History Committee

Description

Fishermen George Richardson Jr. and his son, George III "Chuck," conduct a Trawl Survey of fish on the Back River for Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Plant.

Richardson was contracted to conduct regular Trawl Surveys on the Back and Sheepscot Rivers with a biologist from Maine Yankee. For the survey, a trawl was dragged on the bottom at specific stations for a specified amount of time to collect marine species that were later counted and measured. This was done as an aid in monitoring Maine Yankee's potential impact on marine life in surrounding waters.

Maine Yankee operated from 1972-1996. The plant was located on Bailey Point in Wiscasset facing Westport Island on the Back River.

Maine Yankee utilized a closed-loop pressurized water reactor. Water was drawn from the Back River into the plant for condenser cooling prior to discharge back into the river.

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