Lake Wallenpaupack [Hydro]

Physical and cultural impacts:

The electrical grid is continuously producing power on-demand, shifting production to match current need. Hydroelectric plants are one of the few “batteries” in the system, able to increase or reduce production quickly. Reservoirs slowly fill, storing the potential energy of the water cycle until it is needed, when it can be converted from potential into kinetic, magnetic, and finally electric energy.

Lake Wallenpaupack is a 5,700 acre man-made reservoir. Water from the lake flows 3.5 miles through a 14′ diameter pipe along a now-dry river bed, to a point where the land drops dramatically away, providing the hydrostatic head needed for power generation. Water spins two turbines, with a total of 44 megawatt capacity, before reentering the Lackawaxen River. The water is drawn from the bottom of the lake, so it is colder than the river, and often nutrient-rich, making the outflow a popular place for trout to feed.

From top:

The flow line drawing water from the reservoir; two views of the dam control buildings; the turbine hall.