Description
The project is located on the Mohawk River in Albany and Saratoga Counties, New York.
The School Street Project dam was constructed in 1831. Electric power generation commenced in 1916, and additional generating units were added in 1922 and 1925. The 16-foot-high dam, located about 4,000 feet above Cohoes Falls, impounds a reservoir with a surface area of about 100 acres. Water is diverted at the dam to a power canal, through which it is conveyed to a powerhouse just below Cohoes Falls, and then is returned to the Mohawk River.
The School Street Project includes a 1,280-foot-long, 16-foot-high masonry gravity overflow-type dam that impounds a 100-acre reservoir.
Issues
It diverts water from the river at a dam located nearly 4000 feet upstream from Cohoes Falls, New York’s second largest waterfall. The water runs through a power canal that is 4400 feet long and 150feet wide and ultimately flows into a powerhouse containing five generating units with a total installed electrical capacity of 38.8 MW. The water flows through the powerhouse and is returned to the Mohawk River downstream from Cohoes Falls. In total, water diverted from the river by the School Street Project bypasses approximately 4500 feet of the riverbed, including the waterfall.
Map
Milestones
| Date | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| 8/10/2009 | Second Circuit Court Annuls 2007 License | |
| 3/9/2009 | Settlement Filed | |
| 2/15/2007 | License Issued | |
| 9/8/2001 | FEA Issued | |
| 11/20/1996 | DEA Issued | |
| 12/23/1991 | License Application Filed |
News Related to School Street
FERC Reinstates School Street License
In a ruling issued yesterday, FERC reinstated the license for School Street project issued in February 2007, thereby giving a serious blow to Green Island Power Authority’s (GIPA's) plan to get a license for their proposed 100 MW Cohoes Falls project, just downstream of the current School Street site.
Court Vacates License Order, Says FERC Should Have Analyzed All Alternatives
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated a 2007 FERC license order for the School Street Project and asked FERC to revisit the proceeding.
Permit for Mohawk River (NY) Dam Rejected
On January 19, 2005, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rejected Green Island Power Authority's (GIPA) bid for a preliminary permit to construct a new dam on the Mohawk River in upstate New York. P-12522 (also known as the Cohoes Falls project) would consist of a 20-foot dam above Cohoes Falls and a powerhouse below the falls.