Dam may not work, alderman says
By Bert Lehman
The city of Clintonville is researching the feasibility of generating electricity with the Pigeon River Dam.
The Clintonville Streets Committee discussed the topic at a meeting Thursday, June 7.
Committee Chairman Jim Supanich told committee members that there are a couple of problems with trying to generate electricity with the Pigeon River dam.
First, he said the distance the water falls at the dam is not sufficient.
“It only drops 10 feet and you really need about 20 [feet],” Supanich said.
He said the flow of the water is also low, at 328 gallons per minute.
“That said, with the new microelectronics that are on the marketplace, it’s conceivable we could generate electricity to light city hall,” Supanich said. “The question comes down to do we want to think about that? Would that sound like a reasonable thing to do if the payback is there?”
Committee member Maggie Tischauser said the city won’t know these answers until it has an engineer assess the situation.
“The problem is we really don’t have money for it,” Supanich responded. “So if you know somebody that’s willing to donate some time, that would be great.”
Supanich told the committee that he would ask Clintonville City Administrator Sharon Eveland if the city has any funds available for a study.
The discussion was tabled until more information can be obtained.