The Little River discharges into Belfast Bay in Belfast, which lies 20 miles south of Bangor at the junction of the Passagassawakeaug River and Belfast Bay.
The Little River Lower Dam, owned by the Belfast Water District, is located about two miles south of the center of Belfast and about 700 feet upstream from the river’s confluence with Belfast Bay. The reservoir impounded by the dam served as a primary source of water for a poultry plant until 1979, when the plant was destroyed by flooding. The reservoir now serves as an emergency water supply source for Belfast.
Tidal fluctuations, currents from water flowing over the dam’s spillway, ice flows, and weathering of the bedrock had caused erosion of about 60 feet of the streambank adjacent to the dam’s southern abutment. If allowed to continue, erosion would have caused a breach in the dam. To prevent continuing erosion, the Corps constructed a precast concrete modular wall, 80 feet long and 10-20 feet high. The modules are backfilled with earth materials and supported on a concrete footing bearing on bedrock.
Construction was completed in December 1989 at a cost of $122,000. The project was built under Section 14 of the Corps’ Continuing Authorities Program.