News stories tagged with "dam"

(04/05/12) People working to save the small, historic dam in Croghan from demolition recently got something of a reprieve. The state Department of Environmental Conservation has reclassified the old concrete dam. The two-part structure on the Beaver River was previously listed as "high risk", that could cause death and serious damage if it breached. After the assessment, however, the dam is now considered a low risk structure. more

(07/27/11) State environment officials won't remove stop logs from the village of Croghan's historic dam - at least for now. As David Sommerstein reports, the delay comes as Croghan won a $100,000 grant to begin rebuilding the dam. more

(07/08/11) The Department of Environmental Conservation says it's on schedule to remove the last stop logs from the Croghan dam any day now. That'll lower the pond on the Beaver River by some five feet. That's after the pond in Lewis County was lowered two feet last summer when stop logs were removed.

DEC engineers say the dam's a hazard. But local officials say it's part of history and there's no rush while they seek money to save it. David Sommerstein reports. more

(06/20/11) The Lewis County village of Croghan is mounting a last-ditch effort to save its dam on the Beaver River as well as the historic sawmill it powers.

The dam is crumbling and is considered a high hazard by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. State officials said they'll remove the stop logs next month and may breach the dam completely. Local officials say that will leave shoreline residents high and dry, and hurt a grassroots effort to rebuild the dam. David Sommerstein reports. more

(06/08/11) In southwestern New York, a battle is shaping up for one of the Northeast's great hydropower complexes. The Kinzua dam was built 45 years ago by the federal government. In the process, dozens of homes and sacred sites belonging to the Seneca Indian Nation were flooded.

Today, the Seneca Nation is making a bid to take ownership of the dam. It's created an energy company from scratch. And it's investing heavily in its bet to beat out the company that currently runs the dam in the federal dam relicensing process. As the Innovation Trail's Daniel Robison reports, tens of millions of dollars are at stake. more

(09/15/09) This summer, a private contractor ripped out a century-old dam on the Salmon River in northern Franklin County. State officials said the structure was deteriorating and posed a safety hazard. The town of Fort Covington decided to remove the dam, rather than pay for costly repairs. Green groups say the project will eventually restore crucial fish and bird habitat. But two months after the work was done, a massive plug of silt and sand still clogs the river. As Brian Mann reports, many locals worry that the Salmon River could be permanently damaged.

(08/19/08) Construction has started in the village of Potsdam for a new $3.5 million hydro-electric generator on the Raquette River. Work crews will start dynamiting river rock later this morning. We get a kind of preview on today's Heard Up North.

(06/20/08) The New York Power Authority and the North Country have a long, shared history. The agency overseeing the state's energy production is about to get a new leader. A couple former power industry insiders now wonder if this region will get the recognition it deserves. Jonathan Brown has more.

(05/25/06) Emergency officials are still monitoring two dams on the Great Chazy River in Clinton County. After a week of heavy rain, a six-foot hole opened in the cement dam at Miner Lake, in the Town of Altona. Brian Mann spoke yesterday afternoon with Eric day, head of the county Office of Emergency Services.

(05/24/06) Officials in the Clinton County town of Altona are working to contain a growing hole in the dam at Miner Lake. With the Great Chazy River swollen by heavy rains, a six-foot-wide gap has opened in the barrier. As Brian Mann reports, officials are also watching a second dam further downstream.