Cedar Falls Hydro Generating Station

Location:  Red Cedar River, Wis.

Generating Capacity:  7.1 megawatts

Type of Operation: Partial Peaking

The original Cedar Falls timber dam was replaced with a concrete structure in 1910, with new generators added in 1912 and 1915.  The dam created Tainter Lake, a 1,752-acre flowage formed by the impounding of the Red Cedar and Hay rivers.  In 2005 a rubber dam was installed on the crest of the spillway to replace flashboard that had been used previously for maintaining water levels in the reservoir.  The rubber dam allows operators to maintain required water levels during all seasons of the year.  

With its headwaters in Barron and Washburn counties the Red Cedar River flows almost 100 miles south to its union with the Chippewa River. During the last half of the 19th century, the river was used as a logging run by a Menomonie, Wis.-based firm that was the largest lumber producer in the United States. Today the river is noted for its scenic and recreational value.

Cedar Falls is a modified run-of-the-river operation. The original Cedar Falls timber dam was replaced with a concrete structure in 1910, with new generators added in 1912 and 1915. Since then, the plant has operated largely unchanged, a testimony to the durability of hydro plants.

As a source of electricity, hydropower is advantageous in that the fuel costs nothing. In addition, hydro facilities have low operating and maintenance costs, and their useful lifetime is well over 50 years.

From an environmental perspective, hydro is a clean, renewable fuel, and Xcel Energy manages its dam operations to protect the aquatic environment and improve recreational opportunities.