Dexter looks to harness hydropower from stream
11/18/09 | 6 comments
energy

Dexter looks to harness hydropower from stream


By Diana Bowley
BDN Staff

DEXTER, Maine — With financial help from the federal and state governments, this town in the future could generate half of the electricity used in its municipal buildings through hydroelectric power, thus reducing its consumption of fossil fuels, according to a town official.

To do that, town officials are seeking an $85,000 Federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block grant to begin the development of a hydroelectric generation facility near the outlet of Lake Wassookeag dam. The estimated cost of the project is $298,000.

“Cross your fingers, this could be a great thing,” Town Manager Dave Pearson told the Town Council recently.

The town pays about $100,000 a year for electricity, and a hydroelectric facility could shave that price by about half, according to Pearson.

Since 2007, a committee made up of residents, farmers and business owners has been studying the issue, networking and exploring energy sources that might produce longtime savings for the town and reduce emissions. The council-sanctioned panel, which works with a $20,000 budget, has saved the town about $7,000 by in-stituting conservation measures in the municipal buildings, Pearson said.

The committee had initially proposed setting up a demonstration project at the outlet of the dam, the same water source that powered some 16 mills along the lake outlet in the 19th century, to educate residents and attract interest in the potential of hydropower.

That idea was elevated to a business proposition when James Sysko of Newry, a professional engineer, mentioned the real power generation potential the outlet stream offered, according to the town manager. Based on Sysko’s enthusiasm, Pearson said the committee retained a Bangor law firm to research the water rights of the town along the stream to the old stone dam below the former grist mill located downtown. That research was favorable, so the committee hired Sysko to design a hydroelectric generating facility for the site.

The proposal is to build a plant that would generate 359,160 kilowatt-hours per year, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 369,051 pounds per year, eliminate the need of 8,835 gallons of fuel oil, and create jobs.

Pearson said the grant funds would help pay for the anticipated lengthy permitting process, consultants, a head gate, a powerhouse building and a turbine. The town has budgeted $10,000 for engineering and legal work.

“Our project, and as an example for future projects, will help meet the state’s goal of reducing energy use from 1990 figures by 25 percent in 2012,” Pearson said.

dianabdn@myfairpoint.net

876-4579

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Comments
6 comments on this item
On 11/18/09 at 3:31 AM, DouglasWatts wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Hmm ... they'll need a fishway for alewives and eels. I hope someone will inform the town of this salient fact.

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On 11/18/09 at 6:34 AM, otisfieldman wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

the dam is inplace and has been for 100 plus years so now some one is going to start beating SAVE THE ALEWIVES DRUM now that the town has figured out that all this free power thats been just sitting there for 75 years can be harnest and save thousands of doller a year and lighten there foot print on the earth! But to all the nay-sayers I guess you rather have all that oil being transported across the sea's and coal stripped mined and shipped to them wonder full power plants that poision are air and water! with all the mecury that falls in lake from these plants you wont have to give a mind to the fish making it past the dam because there wont be any

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On 11/18/09 at 8:38 AM, greenlady61 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I am so pleased that someone has finally figured out that some older technoligies for generating power are still very viable and should be used wherever possible. These worked for many years in many places through out Maine. And usually there is a way to work with the environmental issues involved. But unless people want to throw out all the things like hairdryers, clothes dryers, microwaves, toasters and all the many gadgets they think they can't or don't want to live without, what is the option? Continue to be slaves to the oil producing nations? We all know that burning fossil fuels is not the answer and the sooner we find solutions close to home the better off we will all be . I hope that this thinking takes hold across our state and the nation. The technology exists for nearly every little town in Maine to do the same. We can be leaders here, even if we don't have them in Washington.

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On 11/18/09 at 8:39 AM, djmuzx wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I think it's about time Dexter started coming out of the dark ages.New blood in the Town Council has certainly been a good start and now this!! Awesome..

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On 11/18/09 at 11:37 AM, deanhornblower wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Kudos to Dexter for this innovation. People, please take notice that a little hyrdo turbines will sit there, barely noticable, and generate power as long as water flows out of the lake---all the time. Its baseline. The Town of Dexter chose this route, and is spending only $289,000. on it, and if it saves $50,000. per year in the municipal electricity bill, it pays for itself in 6 years. A wise choice instead of spending $2.5 million on an unsightly, noisy wind turbine that would produce unreliable, intermittent power and never pay for itself.

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On 11/19/09 at 1:23 PM, mcbass wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I assume my Dexter property taxes will decrease due to the savings?!

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