New York power

Generates renewable electricity from the Raquette River, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 9,000 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 South Colton, on the Raquette River in Colton, ranks #14 of 142 by 2024 electricity produced. It’s a conventional hydroelectric plant, meaning it uses flowing river water to spin a generator, much like a water wheel connected to a turbine. It began operating in 1954 and is owned by Erie Boulevard Hydropower LP.

Its one generator is rated at 21.0 MW (megawatts, a measure of how much power it can deliver at any moment). In 2024 it produced 89.6 gigawatt-hours (a unit of electricity over time), which is about 9,000 homes’ worth of electricity. Because it runs on moving water, it produces no combustion emissions.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 35,000 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 4,000,000 gallons of gasoline.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Colton sits in St. Lawrence County, in the foothills of the Adirondacks. The college towns of Canton, home to St. Lawrence University and SUNY Canton, and Potsdam, home to Clarkson University and SUNY Potsdam, are nearby. The St. Lawrence River also frames the county.

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.