ENERGY Newsletter
High Falls Hydroelectric Dam Serves Customers For A Century
(Energy News - July 2010)
100 years after it began operating, WPS's High Falls Hydroelectric Dam continues to power businesses and homes in northeastern Wisconsin with renewable energy. Its five units can produce seven megawatts of electricity.
Considered one of the earliest successful hydro projects in Wisconsin, High Falls was built during a time of great expansion in the electric power industry. Built along rugged terrain, it was a major engineering and construction feat:
- Builders had to change the course of the Peshtigo River to retain the vast amount of water needed. This required moving 16,000 tons of granite.
- The dam was built 19 miles from the nearest railroad, with heavy equipment hauled to the site by horses.
- The project required living quarters for 425 workers —dozens of bunk houses, an eating house, kitchen, telephone line, sewerage system, hospital and more.
When High Falls began producing electricity on August 15, 1910, it supplied all of the power Green Bay needed and then some. It was instrumental in developing industry and commerce in Green Bay and outlying areas. WPS acquired High Falls in 1922 through a merger with Northern Hydro Electric Co.
Maintaining Natural Beauty
The High Falls area includes more than 2,400 acres of forest, a 1,700-acre reservoir and remains largely in its natural state — a haven for hikers, boaters and nature lovers. Including those around High Falls, WPS provides thousands of acres of land for public use.
For More Information
To learn more about our hydroelectric plants. If you have questions about sources of renewable energy, contact the Business Solutions Center at 877-444-0888, or your account executive.