Little old dams could be future energy source.

Byline: Ellie Oleson

Most New England waterways are peppered with small, ancient dams that once powered local flour, grist, woolen or other mills. Some such dams are being reawakened to generate hydroelectric power for present and future generations.

Voters at Oxford's Oct. 22 special town meeting will be asked to approve $10,000 for a feasibility study, a first step toward reawakening old dams along the French River. The hope is that the dams might be retrofitted to generate hydroelectric power to benefit the town, according to David M. Manugian, town engineer-planner.

The $10,000 likely would be matched by a $40,000 Large Onsite Renewables Initiative award from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the state's economic development agency for renewable energy. The collaborative also offers design and construction grants that fund 75 percent of projects.

Emily R. Dahl, spokesman for the collaborative, said, "We have awarded well over 1,000 grants since 2002 to individuals, towns, businesses, developers and nonprofits. We support clean energy technology for anyone who meets certain eligibility criteria."

She said those who have received grants include "people with a little stream in their back yard they want to tap for energy" as well as communities with much greater needs.

Hydroelectric projects that have qualified for awards include:

Northbridge's Alternatives Unlimited, a nonprofit organization that serves the developmentally disabled. It received a grant to help rehabilitate a former on-site hydropower facility.

Riverdale Mills Corp., also in Northbridge, a manufacturer of welded wire mesh products, which owns and operates a hydroelectric facility on the Blackstone River and wants to add three more generators.

Webster Hydro Electric Co.'s grant was to help replace one of two existing hydroelectric turbines on the French River so the company can generate 750,000 kilowatt hours per year.

In Winchendon, a hydroelectric microturbine system at Whitney Pond is being considered in hopes of bringing clean hydropower to Beals Memorial Library.

In Southbridge, Dexter-Russell, a manufacturer of professional cutlery, is studying the feasibility of installing a hydroelectric generator at the company-owned dam on the Quinebaug River. The project, which could generate 1,580 kilowatt-hours per year, could be in operation by 2014.

Woven fabric manufacturer William Wright Co. in Warren owns two dams on the Quaboag River and is exploring putting in generators to supply hydroelectric power to its facility.

The Townsend Historical Society received a grant to explore rehabilitating a hydroelectric generator in the Spaulding Grist Mill at the Townsend Harbor Dam.

In Athol, both the L.P. Athol Corp., a warehouse and facility rental company, and the L.S. Starrett Co., a manufacturer of precision tools, plan to use their awards to investigate the feasibility of upgrading hydroelectric equipment to increase generation capacity.

Though small mill dams in Oxford might one day be used for power, there is little chance the town's largest dam, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-controlled Hodges Village Dam, will be so used.

Robert J. Hanacek, operations manager for the Thames River Basin, which includes the dam, said, "It's at cross-purposes to our primary purpose, which is flood reduction. We need as low a pool as possible so we can store water during a flood. A hydropower dam needs high water flow to turn the turbines. If we put in more water, we'd lose flood capacity. It's possible, but not practical."

Interest in hydroelectric power is nationwide, according to Celeste M. Miller, spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which licenses hydroelectric projects.

"We have seen a great increase in interest in small, low-impact hydropower facilities, which are an emission-free, renewable source of energy with low impacts to environmental resources," she said.

There is also high demand for the energy created by such "green" methods, according to Larry Chretien, executive director of the Massachusetts Energy Consumers Alliance, a nonprofit organization that buys and sells energy from green sources such as wind, solar and hydropower.

"We can't make any more rivers, and we don't want to put up any more flow-impeding dams, but re-powering a dam that is already in existence generates electricity without any environmental impact," he said.

He said his alliance buys renewable green energy and sells it to customers, including many in Worcester County, who "pay a small, tax-deductible fee on their National Grid bill."

"We're trying to add to the demand for projects like the one in Oxford, to make them workable," Mr. Chretien said.

Mr. Manugian said that in Oxford, a preliminary study for hydroelectric power has been done, looking at flows of the French River and the condition of dams. "Next, we will look at the dams with the most potential, and, hopefully, seek design and construction grants."

He said the French River, which runs through Oxford from Leicester to Webster, drops approximately 250 feet as it passes through Oxford, creating pressure that could be used to create electric power.

"We could potentially generate thousands of dollars per year to offset the cost of the town's electric power as well as providing improved safety and better maintenance of town dams," Mr. Manugian said.

ART: PHOTO

CUTLINE: Oxford Town Engineer/Planner David Manugian stands next to the Clara Barton Dam on the French River.

PHOTOG: T&G Staff/STEVE LANAVA