The South Glens Falls Hydroelectric Project

The South Glens Falls hydroelectric project site has historically played a key role in the local economy. The project is located of the south side of the Hudson River next to the natural 36’ high waterfall known as Glens Falls. This natural waterfall is made of Glen Falls limestone, a hard black rock that resists the wearing action of the water. , The new Glens Falls Dam is the most recent in a series of dams at this site since the mid 1700s. Using the power of the falling water, the first settlers established mills here in the 1760s, and various industries have thrived here to this day. At first, there were lumber mills and gristmills. Then in the 1800s came the stone sawmills and the factories that made a variety of wood products including window sashes and blinds, and hubs and spokes for wagon wheels. All of these industries used the waterpower to run their machinery. There were lumber and plaster mills, and lime kilns of both sides of the Hudson River, and a paper mill on the south side. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, deposits of Glen Falls limestone near the falls were mined and turned into building stone and Portland cement. Towards the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, papermills and generating plants on both sides of the Hudson River have used the waterpower of the falls to make electricity. , Today the finch Pruyn and Company Inc. Hydro generating plant on the north side of the river and the Adirondack Hydro Development / South Glen Falls Limited Partnership / Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation Hydro Generating Facility both produce clean, renewable electric energy. The South Glens Falls Hydroelectric Facility, constructed in 1993-1994, is the newest project at this historic site. The facility consists of the redeveloped dam with new crest gates, a new intake structure, two 16-foot diameter penstocks and a powerhouse with two new hydro generating units. The South Glens Falls Facility provides enough electric power to meet the needs of 11,000 homes.