The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1912-08-15
SKOWHECAN MIGHT Be
RICHER BY s33,69O
Total Value OF Increased Power on
kennebec Would be S31s,375.

kennebec Would be S31s,375.
If storage dam had been erected
at the outlet of Brassua Lake in 1908
and had been in operation since that
time the additional power it would
along the bank of the Kennebec would
have been worth $318,475 in the four
years, according to computations re-
Gently made by the Maine water stor-
age commission. These figures are
reached on the estimate of $3.50 per
month as the value of each additional
horsepower on the present develop
ment.
Scion would have been $45.470 bet
ter off; Madison, $32,018; Hollings-
worth & Whitney at Madison, S47,190;
Skowhegan, $4,000; Shawmut, $685.
! 1876; Fairfield, $1S,570; Hollingsworth
& Whitney at Waterville, $3S,736;
Lockwood Company at Waterville, $780,
! 3g1, and Augusta, $2S,674. The total
value of this increased power to pre-
sent industries would have been $31S,-
f75, states Engineer Babb in the pa
per which will form a part of his Sec
end annual report. This amount
could therefort, have been expended
n the construction of a dam and the
creation of storage in Brassua Lake
would have paid for itself in four
years.
Looking at it in another way, the
yearly average of the above total value
it $79,62O, which capitalized as per
cent, would give 1852, 400 the value
of the Brassua Lake storage to exist
ing industries.
Similar computations for ten
year period from 1900 to 1910 inclu
siye, or since the establishment of the
gaging station on the Kennebec river
at The Forks, show that if Brassua
Lake storage had been in operation for
this period, the total value of the eX-
cess horsepower during the low wa
ter stages would have been 640,S70, or
yearly average of 1854 ,0S7, which if
capitalized at five per cent. would
have given total valuation of $1,G21,-
740."
Detailed studies have been made by
the commission of the increased flow
that would result from the manipula-
ton of Moosehead lake and the other
lakes at the headwaters of the Kenne-
bee, under different conditions of log
driving requirements. During 1910 the
amount of water used at The Forks
! for log driving purposes was 2600 sec
ond feet. The log driving season gem
orally extends through May, June and
July, although during the year in ques-
tion it ran into August.
The present storage in Moosehead
Lake, only, is about 23,7 billion cubic
feet. There has been considerable dis
cussion, from time to time, of increas-
ing storage in the headwaters of the
Kennebec by construction of dam at
the outlet of Brassua lake on
Moost river. With the construction of
this dam, the total storage above the
outlet of Moosehead lake, including
the storage on Long pond and the two
Roach ponds, would amount to 20 bill
! lion cubic feet.
Engineering computations of the
discharge of the Kennebec river, based
on the above storage, have been made
in detail by the commission. The sec
ond annual report shows that with the
above amount of storage, 1880 cubic
/ feet per second can be continuously
released from Moosehead lake from
! August to May |, with 2600 cubic feet
per second during the log driving sea-
/ son of May, June and July.