New York power

Generates renewable electricity from the Raquette River, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 6,500 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in St. Lawrence County

St. Lawrence County has a population of 106,940. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 22,121 cases in the county.

No ozone or particle pollution grades are available for this county in the most recent report. The figures above describe how many residents live with conditions sensitive to air quality — not measured pollution levels.

Long-term exposure to air pollution has been linked to certain health conditions, particularly for children and older adults. Where electricity comes from affects how much combustion pollution is produced on the grid.

These figures describe the county as a whole and are not specific to this facility. Sources: American Lung Association – State of the Air (New York); U.S. EPA Air Quality Index.

The story behind this New York renewable energy facility

Blake is one of 142 hydropower plants in New York, and it ranks #21 of 142 by the electricity it produced in 2024. It sits on the Raquette River in Parishville and has been running since 1957. Its single generator is conventional hydroelectric, meaning it uses flowing river water to spin a turbine, the same way a water wheel turns a mill.

Blake can produce up to 15.0 MW. A megawatt (MW) is a measure of how much power a plant can deliver at one moment. In 2024 it produced 64.9 gigawatt-hours, a unit of energy equal to a very large number of ordinary kilowatt-hours, which is about 6,500 homes’ worth of electricity. Because it burns nothing, it is carbon-free.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year compared with producing the same electricity from the national mix of power sources — about the same as not burning about 26,000,000 pounds of coal.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Parishville sits in St. Lawrence County, at the edge of the Adirondack foothills. To the north and west, the college towns of Canton and Potsdam are home to St. Lawrence University, SUNY Canton, Clarkson University, and SUNY Potsdam. The St. Lawrence River, which gives the county its name, frames the region.

Local school district

Colton-Pierrepont Central School District

Common questions

* Homes-powered and emissions comparisons are annual estimates based on national averages from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. “Homes powered” describes a quantity of electricity, not direct service to specific households. How we calculate this.