ELLSWORTH – The federal government is recommending improvements to two dams on a Maine river to try to cut down fish die-offs and other problems in the areas.

The Union River has also suffered from large swings in water levels around Graham Lake. The Bangor Daily News reports the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is making several recommendations about the dams.

The federal government is recommending improvements to two dams on The Union River in Ellsworth to try to cut down fish die-offs. Staff photo by Shawn Patrick Ouellette

The federal agency might require the changes as a condition of renewing the operating license for the two dams. They are owned by Black Bear Hydro.

The lower of the two dams sits upstream from where Route 1 crosses the Union River in downtown Ellsworth and has been the site of fish deaths. The Downeast Salmon Federation, an environmental group, has called for improvements to the dams, as have some residents.