New York power

Generates renewable electricity from the Black River, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 14,000 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Jefferson County

Jefferson County has a population of 114,787. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 21,824 cases in the county.

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

Federal monitoring recorded 255 days of good air quality and 16 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

Of the 142 hydropower plants in New York, the Glen Park Hydroelectric Project in Watertown ranks #8 by the electricity it produced in 2024. It sits on the Black River and has run since 1999, using conventional hydroelectric technology, which means river water turns turbines and the turbines spin generators.

In 2024 it produced 142.5 gigawatt-hours (a gigawatt-hour is a very large unit of electricity), about 14,000 homes’ worth. Its three generators have a combined capacity of 32.6 MW (a megawatt is the most power the plant can send out at one moment). Because it runs on flowing water, it is renewable and burns no fuel.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 55,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year compared with producing the same electricity from the national mix of power sources — about the same as the carbon absorbed by about 57,000 acres of forest in a year.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Watertown is the gateway to the Thousand Islands region, where the resort villages of Clayton and Alexandria Bay line the St. Lawrence River. Sackets Harbor, on the shore of Lake Ontario, is a short drive away and a popular spot for a lakeside stroll.

Local school district

General Brown Central School District

Visit the district website

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.