(Town of Lincoln, NY – June 2013) Madison County and Morrisville State College, in a joint venture, announce the dedication of a micro-hydro generation facility to provide power to a pavilion and new bathroom facility at Oxbow Falls County Park on Tuesday June 25 at 1 p.m. at the Oxbow Falls Disc Golf Course, located on Watson Road in the town of Lincoln.
The eighteen-hole disc golf course, the first PDGA sanctioned course in Central New York, is a part of the 130-acre Oxbow Falls Park located on Oxbow Road.
Madison County was recently able to install this new restroom at the Park through an EPF Grant administered through the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The installation of the micro-hydro facility stems from a collaboration with Morrisville State College, Madison County, along with an E-nitiative grant through the Kauffman Foundation.
Students in the Renewable Energy Technology degree program at Morrisville, along with their professor, Dr. Phil Hofmeyer, installed the system and provide annual maintenance as part of the hands-on curriculum.
“Residential and farm-scale hydroelectricity is environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and under-utilized in central New York,” says Hofmeyer. “Our students get the design, installation, and troubleshooting skills necessary to implement real-world sustainable energy systems. This project is an excellent demonstration of the power of collaboration and the practicality of modern micro-hydro systems.”
A map resulting from a study of Madison County waterways demonstrating the hydro-power potential within the county will also be shared at this event.
“This venture between Morrisville State College and Madison County shows the great potential of stream flow hydro within our county, and we are excited that we are able to showcase its practical use in one of our own parks”, said Russell Cary, Chairman of the Madison County Energy Committee and the Madison County Parks Commission.
For information regarding this event or information about your Madison County Parks, call Jim Petreszyn, Associate Planner at the Madison County Planning Department at 366-2376.