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Staff and City Council members christen the new Cascade Hyrdro Facility with buckets of water at a special commissioning ceremony on May 20, 2010. |
Our newest hydroelectric plant is now complete. The Cascade Hydro Power Plant – located in Cascade, Colorado – is a continuation of our long-time commitment to hydro power. We constructed our first plant in 1905, and the Cascade plant is now the fourth hydro plant that we own and operate.
Located on the North Slope of Pikes Peak, the Cascade Plant is an 850kW system - enough to power about 600 homes - that expands our total hydro capacity to 33 megawatts. About 8 percent of the power used in Colorado Springs is generated at hydroelectric plants.
Construction of the Cascade Plant was financed with federal Clean Renewable Energy Bonds. By using these interest-free, tax-exempt bonds instead of traditional debt, millions of dollars have been saved on behalf of our customers.
Because water moves at such a fast pace down the mountain, we need to regulate the pressure before it enters our treatment plants. Currently, we are using a pressure-reducing station. The addition of the Cascade plant allows us to leverage natural resources and create renewable energy.
In Colorado Springs, hydro power is generated when high pressure water piped in from reservoirs moves through a turbine, which turns a generator to make electricity. Hydro power is one of the world’s cleanest energy sources. Since hydroelectric plants do not burn fossil fuels, they release no carbon dioxide or other pollutants into the air.
Cascade Hydro Power Plant project facts
- The plant began operation in March 2010.
- The project does not affect water supply to Chipita Park, Green Mountain Falls or Cascade.
- The construction project included:
- a small power house approximately 30 feet by 30 feet by 16 feet
- a new turbine generator unit in the power house
- a pad-mount transformer approximately 5 feet by 6 feet by 6 feet
- The plant replaced an existing pressure-reducing station.
