Lackawaxen boaters alert: Wallenpaupack turbine releases may be impacted by maintenance

White water rafting, so popular on the Lackawaxen River in Pike County when Brookfield Renewable U.S. releases water from its turbines at its hydroelectric plant. Due to needed plant maintenance, the summer release schedule may be affected, Brookfield announced June 18.

Amy Burnett, senior manager, stakeholder relations/communications at Brookfield, said that on or following July 1, Brookfield Renewable is required to offer eight boating releases with flows of 1,200 cubic feet per second (cfs). These releases are created with the operation of the plant’s two power generation units at Kimbles.

Because of maintenance activities being performed at the plant, the scheduled boating releases in July may not take place if the natural river flows on the Lackawaxen River are determined to be inadequate, Burnett stated.Brookfield plans to reschedule boating releases if the natural river flows are sufficient to support meeting the 1,200 cfs.

Brookfield Renewable U.S., based in New York City, is a "leading owner, operator and developer of renewable power," their press release states. The company acquired the Wallenpaupack Hydroelectric Plant, including the 5,700-acre Lake Wallenpaupack, the dam and 3.5-mile flow line, in 2016. Created by Pennsylvania Power & Light in 1926, the Wallenpaupack operation is in its 98th year. Brookfield reports that the two turbines create 44 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 35,000 typical homes.

For information on water levels and release dates, visit https://safewaters.com/facility/wallenpaupack.

For questions, contact inquiries.pa@brookfieldrenewable.com.

Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Brookfield Wallenpaupack hydro plant releases may be altered in summer