Did You Know...

. . . that during the August 2003 blackout in the Northeast, hydropower projects in upstate New York and several other states continued to run, leading the way to restoring power to millions of Americans?

During the blackout, affecting an estimated 50 million people from New York City to Michigan, hydropower facilities were the first to be put into service to initiate grid stability and restore power. Hydropower's unique operational characteristics allow it to generate power almost immediately, while other sources can take hours to days to come back into service.

Within six hours of the start of the blackout, the New York Power Authority's hydropower generation was back online, providing New York with 3,794 megawatts of energy, close to 45 percent of the state's total electricity load. Two projects, Niagara and St. Lawrence-FDR, operated continuously throughout the blackout.

Hydropower is the nation's leading renewable resource, accounting for about ten percent of America's energy. While hydropower provides emissions- free and renewable energy, it is much more than energy. Hydro- power also results in many public benefits, including water supply, recreational opportunities, flood control and irrigation.

Thanks to the National Hydropower Association (www.hydro.org) for the information in this Benefits of Dams.

(reprinted from the USSD Newsletter, July 2003, page 3)