As a result of a 2004 agreement with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to relicense the Wallenpaupack plant, the program will be run in May through September when water temperatures in the Lackawaxen River are most likely to exceed 75 degrees.
PPL said that it will continue to manage Lake Wallenpaupack water levels to meet monthly targets required by its license.
PPL has installed temperature gauges, meteorological stations and other communication equipment along the river in 2007 and has been gathering data about stream and weather conditions and river flows. It will continue to monitor the equipment to maintain the possible trout habitat along a six-mile section of the river below the Wallenpaupack plant.
The company said that the program consists of managing power generation during summer to keep water temperature downstream of plant below 75 degrees. The cooler water provides a beneficial habitat for wild trout as well as the trout stocked by the commission.
The 5,700-acre lake provides water for the Wallenpaupack hydroelectric plant, a 44MW plant near Hawley that has been generating clean, renewable electricity since 1926.
Paul Canevari, community relations director for the Pocono region at PPL, said: “Along with generating clean, renewable electricity, the lake provides recreational opportunities, and its ability to store water makes it a valuable flood protection resource.”
PPL, headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, owns or controls nearly 12,000MW of generating capacity in the US, sells energy in key US markets and delivers electricity to about 4 million customers in Pennsylvania and the UK.
