ohio river louisiville

[fishman]

does anyone no why the they run water threw the bear claws inside of the dam making free electric u think that would be cheaper than burning coal

[riverrat12]

I've wondered about that for many years. Two things I have learned is one, never try to figure the Corp. out, and two I'm sure money and politics play a role. The hydro's are paid off by now several times over and the cost of maintaining them can't be more than they have brought in. Just my 2cents...good question. Chuck

[Boat Bums]

They have to pay the fed for the amount of water they use. So they only us the hydro in high demand months. I just heard of this myself and it wasn't a reliable source.

[Grumman]

From my understanding...... The hydro plant controls that whole area. First there has to be enough water for the lock to work, second if the hydro plant is going to run they push the water into it closing the apprpriate gates to achieve this, thirdly they have a deal with the park to keep the fossil beds dry as much as possible during June, July, August, and September to help them get people out to the park.
The energy cost in the Louisville area is 15% lower than it would be if that hydro plant was not there, but the majority of that electricity is shipped out of the area since it cannot be stored.

[colonelmeyer]

Sounds about right.