CANTON — Congressman Michael Michaud, D-Maine, met with selectmen and members of the Dam Core Committee on Saturday to see the temporary dam on Whitney Brook and hear about financing a permanent structure.

The town took ownership of the dilapidated dam in 2008 and replaced it with a temporary one. The dam is on an outlet in the northeast corner of Anasagunticook Lake, which is Canton’s water supply. Most of the 556-acre lake is in Hartford.

The committee of residents from both towns has recommended building a permanent dam, which is estimated to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Committee member Judith Hamilton said Chairman Malcolm Ray led Saturday’s tour and discussed the history of the dam with Michaud. Ray explained how the towns are working together on the project and how volunteers had built the temporary dam. He said funding is a primary need now.

Bob Thompson of Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments discussed possible federal funding for the project. Because the purpose of the dam is to provide the Canton Water District with a storage facility, it is considered eligible for a Community Development Block Grant, he said.

The maximum amount for the grant is $500,000, and the town would have to certify a 25 percent match of $125,000 in order to qualify for it. The town can raise this money by other grants, loans or donations, grant rules state.

AVCOG Economic Development Planner Amy Landry and Thompson are giving technical assistance for the CDBG application.

According to Hamilton, the Canton Dam fund and the Lake Anasagunticook Dam fund have provided about $25,000.  Debbie Hutchins of the Canton Water District is working with Rural Development, which could be a source of
loans or grants, Hamilton told the committee at its meeting Oct. 12.

Ray is working with selectmen of both towns to get authorization to spend $1,500 to have engineering consultants Kleinschmidt Associates of Pittsfield rework the estimates on a new dam.

The town hopes to reuse the stainless steel gate from the old dam to cut expenses, as well as canceling unneeded repairs to the left embankment, if a site further upstream is chosen, Ray said.

Andrea Quaid, an aide to Michaud, was also at the Saturday meeting. 

Selectman Jacqueline Conant said public hearings and a special town meeting will be scheduled in November to see if the town will approve applying for the CDBG.