WILTON — A hydropower project at the Bass-Wilson Building has the potential to produce 168 megawatts of power each year, Michael Wells told a gathering Thursday that included representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The project, which is expected to cost about $200,000, would use water from Wilson Stream to generate electricity for the four-story building.

It began last year when building owner Randy Cousineau and Wells sought alternative energy sources for the former shoe shop building, which consumes about 8,000 gallons of oil a year and has a high electricity bill.

The hydropower would prevent 205,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, Wells said, comparing it to taking about 23 cars off the road each year.

A feasibility study has been completed and Wells, representing Cousineau, is starting the permitting process and applying for a construction grant of 25 percent from the USDA.

Along with USDA and some town officials, representatives from the Department of Environmental Protection, the Maine Department of Marine Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service and the Maine Department of Marine Resources came to Wilton on Thursday to get an overview of the project and tour.

Although the biologists expressed a willingness to work with Wells, they discussed consideration of potential Atlantic salmon habitats and protection of other fish, such as herring, bugs and the ecology of the stream.

They suggested a fish way built along the side of the stream would provide adequate fish passage and could help with acquisition of the permits.

“Atlantic salmon have never been seen in Wilson Lake or stream to my knowledge,” state Rep. Russell Black, R-Wilton, said.

The potential for upstream passage from the reintroduction of salmon into the Sandy River needs to be considered, Paul Christman of the Maine Department of Marine Resources explained. He gave an account of attempts to reintroduce the Atlantic salmon after industry-built dams have caused near extinction.

Wells anticipated the $60,000 permitting process, an amount that could cover the cost of an additional turbine at $45,000, would take up to 12 months.

The amount of time is optimistic, Jeff Murphy of the National Marine Fisheries Services said. An environmental review, including a biological assessment, needs to be done before the USDA can move forward on the grant application.

“It’s a simple, straightforward and very minor hydropower project,” Wells said. Its size is expected to eliminate some permitting steps necessary for larger projects.

“We’re all hunters and fishermen. We don’t want to destroy fish,” Wells said.

On the other hand, the project can reduce carbon emissions for cleaner air by use of the natural resource.

“We can work together,” he added.

The dam and canal off Wilson Lake dates back to at least the 1880s, when water power was used for industries.

The building, a former wool mill, then Bass Shoe Shop, was powered for years by the waters of Wilson Stream. The stream flowed through the canal and under the building. It went through a turbine, creating electricity.

Cousineau bought the building in 1990, creating and leasing office and commercial space. A cement wall was erected to keep the water from flowing under it. The 1930-style turbine is still set up under the Calzolaio Pasta Co. restaurant but requires too much water to be efficient, Wells said.

Cousineau owns water rights but the town’s water department controls the lake level and water released into the stream.

Water from the stream would be diverted and returned to the stream, Wells said.

The feasibility study, partially funded by a federal Rural Energy for America Program grant, revealed a potential $23,000 in savings annually on the building’s electrical bill, a potential to use some electrical heat and hot water systems and a potential for selling any extra electricity produced.

Anticipating a $200,000 investment, there’s an expected 10-year return on the investment, Wells said.

abryant@sunjournal.com

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