New York power

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

Air quality & health in Oneida County

Oneida County has a population of 227,555. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 47,467 cases in the county.

Federal monitoring recorded 211 days of good air quality and 50 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 New York’s 142 hydropower plants, Trenton Falls ranks #9 by electricity produced in 2024. It sits in Barneveld and draws on West Canada Creek, using flowing water to spin generators without burning anything. It has been operating since 1919.

In 2024 it produced 140.6 gigawatt-hours, which is a measure of electricity over time, and that is enough for about 14,000 homes. Its capacity, the most power it can deliver at one moment, is 21.9 MW, a megawatt being a million watts. Three generators, the machines that turn motion into electricity, share the work.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 54,000 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 56,000,000 pounds of coal.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Trenton Falls is in Oneida County, in the Mohawk Valley. Utica and Rome are the nearest well-known cities, and Rome is home to Fort Stanwix National Monument and sits along the Erie Canal. The eastern shore of Oneida Lake also touches the county.

Local school district

Holland Patent 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.