Montco Seeking To Harness Hydroelectric Power Of Norristown Dam

BRIDGEPORT, PA — Montgomery County officials are working to harness Norristown Dam's potential hydroelectric energy, potentially transforming the energy landscape in the region and helping the county meet its goal of transitioning to renewable energy in the coming decades.

The county told Patch that they are currently working to obtain a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission exemption, which is required to move forward with the project.

"With this dam, the County would be able to run its internal operations in Norristown all internal operations with hydroelectricity, making Montgomery County more independently sustainable," a spokesperson for the county said. "This development would impact the region as a whole, highlighting the County’s ongoing efforts as a member of the Sustainable Energy Partnership Alliance."

The project area would run along the Schuylkill River from the dam, located between the DeKalb Street and Markley Street bridges, several miles west down the river.

A cost estimate and potential timeline have not yet been announced.

The project has been in the works for years, with initial rumblings about adding hydropower arising in 2012 when the Oak Ridge National Laboratory put the dam on a national register of sites with hydropower investigation.

Preliminary investigations were completed by Montgomery County in 2016, and the results positive enough that the county was ready to move forward. However, the cost was prohibitive at that time and plans were laid aside.

The project was picked back up in 2021, however, when new funding opportunities arose, and a new feasibility study was completed in 2023. The county said that they found both that hydropower technology had measurably improved over the past seven years, and also that there were more funding opportunities available for that type of project.

The county has a stated goal of moving to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.

A stakeholder meeting was held at Bridgeport borough hall on Wednesday, during which Montgomery County Commissioners and the Montgomery County Planning Commission discussed the project's next steps with members of the public.