Since the 1790's, Massena, New York, has nestled around a mill-pond formed by a low-head dam on the Grasse River in St. Lawrence County. Mills connected with low-head dams that provided critical hydropower for the community formed part of the fabric of the early industrial and social life of villages and hamlets in the North Country, and the Village and Town of Massena essentially grew up and around the dam for nearly two centuries. The dam associated with the Village of Massena breached in the winter of 1996/1997. Since then, the Village, Town, local communities and residents along the Grasse River and others have studied the feasibility of restoring the character of the Massena waterfront in an economically, socially and environmentally acceptable manner. The Massena Electric Department initiated engineering, financial and environmental feasibility studies to assess the best way to accomplish that, leading to a conclusion to pursue plans to construct and operate a multipurpose hydro electric project on the Grasse River near the site of the old dam. In working with local community stakeholders, Federal and New York State regulators and resource agencies, and NGOs in New York, Massena Electric has focused on ensuring that plans moving forward can identify an acceptable way to accomplish all of the various elements of a project of this nature. Leading the analyses is our desire to ensure that the project can deliver the desired level of public benefits without compromising the quality of our local environment, and at a cost that our ratepayers and local citizens can afford. |
