Brief Overview of Hydroelectric Project Given at Town Meeting

Members of a local committee and a civil engineer presented a brief overview of the Collinsville hydroelectric project at the town’s annual meeting Wednesday.

Matthew Stone, chairman of the Temporary Hydro Project Advisory Committee discussed several aspects of the plan, including a grant-funded $50,000 pre-feasibility study of the upper and lower dams.

The report, prepared by Massachusetts-based GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc., evaluated several factors, including civil works, hydrology, historic significance, existing and potential new equipment, environmental resources, economic analysis, permitting and more.

Stone said there is much more work to be done but the most important revelation of the study is there are no alarming reasons to stop proceeding.

“The primary take is there are no fatal flaws at this point in the project,” he said.

Chad W. Cox, a civil engineer and associate principal with GZA, talked a little about the equipment, financials and flow rate.

Cox said the powerhouse on the upper dam is in good shape, would require and can accept new equipment and one preliminary scenario estimates a 6.6 million-development cost, with a 12 percent return on investment over 30 years.

The lower dam would cost an estimated 7.1 million to develop and on its own would have a lower return on investment, Cox said.

While the town would take advantage of a newly passed state “Virtual Net Metering” that allows municipalities to send power to the grid and “virtually” apply it to five municipal buildings at full retail value, for illustration Cox said estimated generation of the upper dam would be enough to power 350 homes.

While there are issues, such as flow rate and more work to be done, Cox agreed the project had much potential.

“This is a viable project for the town from a technical and environmental standpoint,” Cox said.

Committee member Dave Madigan talked about where the town currently is in regard to the project.

Recently the town applied for an extension of preliminary permits for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and legislation that would allow the agency to transfer more permanent licenses is currently before committees in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, he said.

The town also has to assess for certain if Avon and/or Burlington are interested in pursuing opportunities for the lower dam.

The town also has to work on grant opportunities, licensing with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, development opportunities and scenarios, implementation of the state Virtual Net Metering bill and further study and economic analysis.

But despite all the work ahead and the need for a final study, Madigan said he feels the current picture looks positive to provide the town a buffer against rising electrical costs, its images, the educational opportunities and enhanced environmental assets — such as a fish ladder. He said the use of flashboards for an upper dam project would also raise the water level for the Farmington River impoundment, or “Upper Mill Pond,” above it, a recommendation of another recent study.

And of course the project has to stand on its own financially but Madigan likes what he sees so far.

“This has the potential to produce a really positive cash flow for the town,” Madigan said.