The Wiscasset Conservation Commission is putting off making a recommendation on Montsweag Dam until the panel meets with Fire Chief T.J. Merry.

The commission has been weighing the costs of repairing or removing the 75-year-old dam on the upper waters of Montsweag Brook. Engineering estimates have the costs about the same. At issue is the loss of the lake created by the dam. The fire department relies on this water source for fire protection.

On Feb. 22, the commission heard from Jeffrey Reardon, Maine Brook Trout Project Director for Trout Unlimited. Reardon said he’s assisted with over a dozen dam-related projects statewide including finding funding sources, should the town opt to remove the dam.

Reardon said if the dam were removed, seaa run brook trout and other migratory fish might return to the brook’s upper waters.

“We know there is a history of sea run brook trout as having been there in the past and brook trout have been caught in the brook’s upper waters,” he told the commissioners. According to Reardon, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife was planning to assess the brook this summer to determine what fish inhabit it.

Richard Forrest of the Wiscasset Shellfish Committee said the dam’s removal wouldn’t have a negative impact on clamming in Montsweag Bay. Forrest added the flats closest to the mouth of the brook were presently closed to shellfish harvesting by the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

Reardon was aware of the fire department’s need to use the lake. He suggested the commission explore options for developing an alternative water source,  such as a cistern or dry hydrant, should the dam be removed.

Chairman Anne Leslie said before the commission could make a recommendation, the members would need to hear from the fire chief and discuss the fire department’s needs.

Other members of the Conservation Commission who were present were Dan Sortwell and Marty Fox. Town Planner Ben Averill also attended along with Randy Clark another member of Trout Unlimited’s Merrymeeting Chapter.

The forested Montsweag Preserve stretches from Bradford Road to Freedom Song Lane. In 2013, Central Maine Power gave Wiscasset the 22-acre property on the condition it be used for conservation and recreation. The land came with a gift of $100,000 for stewardship. The agreement required a management plan approved by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Last year, selectmen hired Stockwell Environmental Consulting of Southport for $2,870 to help develop the management plan. The money for the study came from the stewardship account.

H.M. Payson of Portland manages the stewardship funds and other endowments for the board of selectmen. At the close of Jan. 31, Montsweag Dam Reserve Fund was listed at $126,960. CMP built the concrete dam in 1941 as a backup water source for the Mason Station electricity-generating plant. The Stockwell report notes, the dam represents an obstacle to fish passage. The dam is a barrier to migrating salmon, American eels, alewives, sea run brook trout and brown trout, it states.

The commission meets next at 6 p.m. March 22 in the muncipal building’s hearing room.