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New York power
Generates renewable electricity from the Raquette River, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 20,000 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
New York has 142 hydropower plants in this category, and Colton, on the Raquette River in Pierrepont, ranks #5 of 142 by 2024 electricity produced. Hydropower means using flowing water to spin a turbine, which turns a generator that makes electricity. Colton began operating in 1918 and has three generators, with a capacity of 30.0 MW (megawatts, a measure of the most power it can produce at one moment).
In 2024, Colton produced 195.0 gigawatt-hours (a gigawatt-hour is a large amount of electricity, counted over time), enough for about 20,000 homes. Erie Boulevard Hydropower LP owns the plant, which is a conventional hydroelectric facility, meaning it draws on river water without burning fuel.
Environmental impact
Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 75,000 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 8,800,000 gallons of gasoline.*
Nearby places worth exploring
Pierrepont sits in St. Lawrence County, where the St. Lawrence River and the Adirondack foothills frame the landscape. Nearby are the college towns of Canton, home to St. Lawrence University and SUNY Canton, and Potsdam, home to Clarkson University and SUNY Potsdam.
Local school district
Colton-Pierrepont Central School District
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* 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.
