New York power

Generates renewable electricity from the Fish Creek, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 640 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 in this category, and the Schuylerville plant on Fish Creek ranks #117 of 142 by 2024 electricity produced. It began operating in 1919 and is owned by Erie Boulevard Hydropower LP, with power delivered through National Grid. It’s conventional hydroelectric, meaning flowing creek water turns a turbine, which spins a generator to make electricity.

Its one generator has a capacity of 2.0 MW. A megawatt (MW) is a measure of how much power a plant can produce at once. In 2024 it produced 6.4 gigawatt-hours, a unit of energy equal to a million kilowatt-hours, which is about 640 homes’ worth of electricity for the year.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 2,500 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 2,600,000 pounds of coal.*

Nearby places worth exploring

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

Local school district

Schuylerville 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.