OXFORD — An application for a grant which would help officials study, evaluate and implement a plan to deal with the deteriorating Welchville Dam did not receive funding, selectmen learned on Thursday, Aug 1.

In December, selectmen authorized Town Manager Butch Asselin to apply for a National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant under its Community-based Restoration Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration program.

The program provides funding to support habitat restoration projects that use an ecosystem-based approach to foster species recovery and increase fish populations under NOAA’s jurisdiction.

The application sought funding over a two-year period: the first year to study and evaluate options for dealing with the dam on the Little Androscoggin River, the second year to execute a plan selected by the town.

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Selectmen at the time also authorized expending up to $30,000 per year as matching funds.

Over $100 million was requested by applicants from across the country, Steve Heinz of Sebago Chapter of Trout Unlimited told selectmen on Aug. 1. Heinz assisted with the application process.

“Approximately $10.4 million was awarded nationally,” he said. “Most of the funded proposals included one-to-one match and were for projects where the outcome was specified.”

A plan to remove barriers to fish migration in Temple Stream in the Farmington area was the only Maine project to receive funding.

“What we are recommending now is addressing some of the key concerns regarding the Welchville Dam,” said Heinz. “That is, really, what effect will dam removal have on water levels upstream and what effect will dam removal have on nearby infrastructure. We are talking about things like wells, bridges, docks and the water levels of Hogan and Whitney ponds.”

Trout Unlimited, in consultation with NOAA Fisheries, recommends the next step to be a water level study which will provide valuable information for the town to address these concerns, he said.

“What we are proposing is opening the floodgates of the dam early this year,” he said. “Usually, you do that sometime in October or early November. What we are suggesting is doing it right after Labor Day.”

The proposed plan includes installing five loggers to measure water levels directly upstream of the spillway, at the outlets of Hogan and Whitney ponds, at the confluence of the Little Androscoggin River and near the Route 121 bridge.

The loggers would automatically record water level data every 15 minutes until the threat of ice over requires removal of the loggers, he said.

Once the data is analyzed to determine the potential effects on infrastructure, it would be presented to the selectboard.

“You can make your decision based on what people think is happening to water levels in the pond,” he said. “I’ve heard there are properties on the pond that flood in high water conditions. Is that true? I don’t know. What this will do is give you some hard data to base your decisions on going forward.”

Selectmen voted in favor of working with Trout Unlimited to generate a Request for Proposal for the study.