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Raleigh Seeks Alternative Energy Source

Raleigh is hoping to build another sustainable energy facility. This one would be a hydroelectric plant at the Falls Lake Dam.

Dave DeWitt: Raleigh already generates power by harnessing methane gas at its landfill. Now, city officials are hoping to turn the Falls Lake Dam into a power plant. It would be small, generating electricity for just a few hundred homes. But it could also be profitable.

City officials say that is the key. If the $5-to-7 million hydroelectric facility could pay for itself, that would go a long way toward getting it built. Officials also say a plant wouldn't affect water levels or quality. Falls Lake is the single largest provider of drinking water for Raleigh and eastern Wake County.

Public meetings and a site visit at the Falls Lake Dam are scheduled for later today.

Dave DeWitt is WUNC's Supervising Editor for Politics and Education. As an editor, reporter, and producer he's covered politics, environment, education, sports, and a wide range of other topics.
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