Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) has announced it has completed raising the water level upstream of the Elkhart Hydroelectric Plant on the St. Joseph River to its normal spring and summer level. The annual process was delayed due to ongoing maintenance work on the dam that began in the spring and was necessary in order to raise the water levels.  

"We understand that the delay had the potential to affect those who rely on the reservoir for everything from recreational enjoyment to economic development opportunities. We appreciate the crews who have been working six days a week since the project began to meet our goal timeline. We also want to thank the Elkhart community for their patience as we worked as quickly and safely as possible to complete this project," Katie Davis, I&M vice president of external affairs and customer experience, said.

Maintenance work began in early April with the goal of being completed by Memorial Day. In advance of the maintenance process, I&M cautioned affected customers who had not already put boats and other watercraft in the river to consider waiting until work has been completed. 

I&M will continue monitoring the dam throughout the summer pool period. There is still the potential that it might be necessary to lower water levels later. I&M will continue to keep customers updated on any next steps related to work around its hydroelectric facility in the future. Again, thank you for your patience and we hope everyone has a safe, fun summer.

Customers who have questions can contact I&M customer service at 260-408-3724 or IMCustomerService@aep.com. Project updates are available at www.IndianaMichiganPower.com/News.

I&M administra la Planta Hidroeléctrica de Elkhart de acuerdo con la licencia emitida por la Comisión Federal Reguladora de Energía. I&M posee y opera la Planta Hidroeléctrica de Elkhart desde 1913. It is one of six run-of-river hydroelectric plants on the St. Joseph River. "Run-of-river" means all the water coming into the plant from upstream is passed through downstream of the dam (i.e., inflow equals outflow). Combinadas, las seis plantas hidroeléctricas de I&M generan más de 22 megavatios de electricidad, suficiente para abastecer 15,000 hogares en un año.

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La sede de Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) se encuentra en Fort Wayne, y sus, aproximadamente, 2,000 empleados prestan servicios a más de 600,000 clientes. Más del 85% de la energía eléctrica que proporcionó en 2023 fue libre de emisiones.  I&M tiene a su disposición diversas fuentes de generación, lo que incluye 2,278 MW de generación de energía nuclear en Michigan, 450 MW de generación de energía eólica comprada de Indiana, más de 22 MW de generación de energía hidráulica en los dos estados y, aproximadamente, 35 MW de generación de energía solar a gran escala en los dos estados. The company's generation portfolio also includes 1,497 MW of coal-fueled generation.

At American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, we understand that our customers and communities depend on safe, reliable and affordable power. Our nearly 17,000 employees operate and maintain more than 40,000 miles of transmission lines, the nation's largest electric transmission system, and more than 225,000 miles of distribution lines to deliver power to 5.6 million customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation's largest electricity producers with nearly 29,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including approximately 6,100 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP is investing $43 billion over the next five years to make the electric grid cleaner and more reliable. We are on track to reach an 80% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 and have a goal to achieve net zero by 2045. AEP is recognized consistently for its focus on sustainability, community engagement and inclusion. La familia de compañías de AEP incluye a AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (en Virginia y Virginia Occidental), AEP Appalachian Power (en Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma y Southwestern Electric Power Company (en Arkansas, Louisiana, este de Texas y la región del Mango de Texas). AEP también es propietaria de AEP Energy, que brinda soluciones energéticas competitivas e innovadoras en todo el país. Para obtener más información, visite aep.com.