New York power

Generates renewable electricity from the Mohawk River, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 4,200 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Saratoga County

Saratoga County has a population of 238,711. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 51,023 cases in the county.

The county received a grade of B for ozone pollution. No particle pollution grade is available.

Federal monitoring recorded 233 days of good air quality and 10 moderate days in the county over the most recent year, with 0 days rated unhealthy for sensitive groups.

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, and the New York State Dam Hydro plant in Waterford ranks #34 of 142 by the electricity it produced in 2024. It sits on the Mohawk River and uses conventional hydroelectric technology, meaning river water flowing through turbines spins generators to make power. It began operating in 1990 and is owned by Boralex Hydro Operations Inc.

In 2024 it produced 42.0 gigawatt-hours, a gigawatt-hour being a very large unit of electricity, enough to power about 4,200 homes. Its two generators have a capacity of 11.4 MW, a megawatt being the most power the plant can send out at one moment, again on the scale of a small town. Because the water itself is the fuel, nothing is burned to make this power.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 16,000 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 17,000,000 pounds of coal.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Waterford is in Saratoga County, a short drive from Saratoga Springs, home to the Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and Saratoga Spa State Park. Saratoga Lake is just outside the city.

Local school district

Waterford-Halfmoon Union Free 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.