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United Water plans hydro plant at Dundee Dam

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United Water plans hydro plant at Dundee Dam

AUGUST 30, 2014    LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY JAMES M. O’NEILL
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

After more than a year of study, United Water has decided to develop a small hydroelectric power plant at the Dundee Dam to produce enough power to supply 1,000 homes.

The company will seek bids from hydropower developers to build turbines and run the facility at the dam, which stretches across the Passaic River from Garfield to Clifton.

United Water, a co-owner of the dam, would sign a multiyear lease with the winning hydropower company. The hydropower company would then collect the revenue generated by selling the electricity to the regional grid. The company could also receive financial clean energy credits from the state.

“This is a great environmental sustainability story,” said Steve Goudsmith, a United Water spokesman. “We believe this is not only an untapped renewable resource but attractive to hydro developers,” said Goudsmith.

The facility would become one of only a handful of hydroelectric facilities in New Jersey and mesh with Governor Christie’s goal of generating 70 percent of the state’s electricity through clean sources — such as wind, solar and hydro — by 2050.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/environment/harnessing-the-power-of-the-passaic-river-1.1078344