The Majestic Power of Water
We are proud to announce plans to construct our fifth hydroelectric plant. The new $34 million facility will utilize water that is continuously released downstream of Cannonsville Reservoir and will help to avoid the emission of 23,666 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.
Once completed, the 6-megawatt facility will generate an estimated 32,000 megawatt hours of electricity each year — enough to power 3,547 homes, or the equivalent of taking 5,068 passenger vehicles off the road! Electricity produced at the plant will make its way into the grid through a new substation that will be located several hundred yards downstream of Cannonsville Dam. The project will create dozens of construction jobs, several full-time jobs to operate the finished plant, and it will generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in new property tax revenue for the Town of Deposit and the Deposit Central School District. We expect to complete the 4,400-square- foot hydroelectric facility by 2025.
Our Current Hydroelectric Profile
In 2017, our four existing hydroelectric facilities generated nearly 199 MILLION kilowatt hours of electricity. That electricity was sold on the open market by the New York Independent System Operator, which oversees the electric grid throughout the state. Our four existing facilities have the following following hydropower profiles:
- The Neversink Tunnel Outlet has a capacity of 25 megawatts and generates energy from water as it moves from Neversink Reservoir to Rondout Reservoir.
- The East Delaware Tunnel Outlet has a capacity of 18 megawatts and generates electricity as water moves from Pepacton Reservoir to Rondout Reservoir.
- The West Delaware Tunnel Outlet has a capacity of 7.5-megawatts and generates electricity as water moves from Cannonsville Reservoir to Rondout Reservoir.
- The fourth hydroelectric facility, a 4.75-megawatt plant, is located at Ashokan Reservoir and generates power as water moves into the Catskill Aqueduct.
About Cannonsville Reservoir
Located on the western edge of Delaware County, Cannonsville Reservoir was formed by damming the West Branch of the Delaware River to store 96 billion gallons of water. Cannonsville Reservoir was the last of New York City’s 19 reservoirs to be built. It was placed into service in 1964. Water drawn from Cannonsville enters the West Delaware Tunnel and travels 44 miles to the upper end of the Rondout Reservoir. From there, it is carried in the 85-mile-long Delaware Aqueduct. Cannonsville Reservoir receives its water from a 455-square-mile drainage basin that includes parts of 17 towns in Delaware County.
