Jackson County commissioners are slated to discuss a plan on May 16 to take over the Dillsboro dam to save it from being torn down.

Duke Power wants to tear down the dam, restoring a section of free-flowing river. The move would count as mitigation required by Duke in exchange for operating 10 other dams in the region. Jackson County would rather see that mitigation come in the form of cash and keep the dam.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — not Duke and not Jackson County — will decide the fate of the Dillsboro dam, which could be another year in coming.

Removing the dam was widely supported by those in the rafting and kayaking industry, removing an obstacle for boaters and boosting tourism. Some retail merchants and accommodation owners believe the historic dam is a tourist attraction and is more beneficial to tourism than the potential rafting increase.

The environmental community was also torn over the pros and cons. The dam would restore free-flowing river, improve natural aquatic habitat and allow fish and other species to swim up and down the river. But others say the dam has been there so long that the river has adapted, and removing it would create a disruption to species that have settled in around it, including colonies of endangered elk toe mussels.

Duke’s current plan does not provide for dredging. Silt, which has collected behind the dam, would be released downstream, harming water quality and potentially killing fish, opponents of dam removal say.

The dam constitutes a pittance of Duke’s overall power generation. A large maintenance bill on the 1920s-era dam could soon come due, making it an advantageous sacrifice for Duke, which is required to come up with some form of mitigation in order to keep operating its other dams, according to Paul Nolan, a D.C. attorney who specializes in hydropower who was hired to advise and represent Jackson County in negotiations with Duke.

The draft plan being considered would require Duke to perform the backlog of maintenance — including dredging 100,000 cubic yards of sediment backed up behind the dam and shoring up the aging powerhouse — and then turn over the dam, powerhouse and turbines to Jackson County “as a charitable contribution to the efforts of Jackson County to promote economic development in the county.”