Tinker Dam
Encyclopedia
The Tinker Dam is a hydroelectric
dam
built on the Aroostook River
in the Canadian
province of New Brunswick
and operated jointly by WPS Energy and NB Power
. Its power house has a capacity of 34 megawatts.
The dam and power house are collectively known as the Tinker Generating Station. The dam is located in Aroostook Junction, New Brunswick, immediately downstream of Fort Fairfield
, Maine
, and less than 1 km east of the Canada-U.S. border. The reservoir floods the Aroostook River valley into a portion of northeastern Maine. The dam was built in 1923 and the power house contains 5 hydroelectric units (1-5) which were placed in service between 1923-1965.
The Tinker Generating Station benefits from flow regulation upstream in Maine
on Millinocket Lake and on the Aroostook River in Squa Pan. There are also control facilities and a power house canal located on the Maine side of the border.
The Tinker Generating Station was constructed as a joint project of the New Brunswick Electric Power Commission and the Maine Public Service. In 1999, the Maine Public Service sold its share of the plant to WPS Power Development, LLC of De Pere
, Wisconsin
. WPS Power Development operates in Canada under its subsidiary WPS Canada Generation, Inc.
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
built on the Aroostook River
Aroostook River
The Aroostook River is a tributary of the Saint John River in the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Its basin is the largest sub-drainage of the St. John River....
in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
and operated jointly by WPS Energy and NB Power
NB Power
NB Power , formerly known as New Brunswick Power Corporation and New Brunswick Electric Power Commission is the primary and former monopoly electrical utility in the Canadian province of New Brunswick...
. Its power house has a capacity of 34 megawatts.
The dam and power house are collectively known as the Tinker Generating Station. The dam is located in Aroostook Junction, New Brunswick, immediately downstream of Fort Fairfield
Fort Fairfield, Maine
Fort Fairfield is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,496 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 78.4 square miles , of which, 76.6 square miles of it is land and 1.7 square miles ...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, and less than 1 km east of the Canada-U.S. border. The reservoir floods the Aroostook River valley into a portion of northeastern Maine. The dam was built in 1923 and the power house contains 5 hydroelectric units (1-5) which were placed in service between 1923-1965.
The Tinker Generating Station benefits from flow regulation upstream in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
on Millinocket Lake and on the Aroostook River in Squa Pan. There are also control facilities and a power house canal located on the Maine side of the border.
The Tinker Generating Station was constructed as a joint project of the New Brunswick Electric Power Commission and the Maine Public Service. In 1999, the Maine Public Service sold its share of the plant to WPS Power Development, LLC of De Pere
De Pere, Wisconsin
De Pere is a city located in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 20,559 at the 2000 census. De Pere is a suburb of Green Bay and is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Registered historic places:...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. WPS Power Development operates in Canada under its subsidiary WPS Canada Generation, Inc.