Built 1917–1919 Designated March 14, 1991 | NRHP Reference # 91000243 Area 8,000 m² | |
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MPS Minnesota Hydroelectric Generating Facilities MPS Similar Goldstein Museum of Design, Mall of America, Minnesota Zoo | ||
The Lake Zumbro Hydroelectric Generating Plant is a hydroelectric facility on the Zumbro River in Mazeppa and Zumbro Townships, Minnesota, United States. The facility consists of a gravity dam and a powerhouse, and the impoundment created is called Lake Zumbro. This dam spans 440 feet (130 m) and is 55 feet (17 m) deep. The facility was designed by pioneering hydroelectric engineer Hugh Lincoln Cooper (1865–1937) and was built from 1917 to 1919. It is still operated by its original owner, Rochester Public Utilities (RPU), to supply power to Rochester, Minnesota, 15 miles (24 km) to the south. The Lake Zumbro Hydroelectric Generating Plant was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 for having state-level significance in the theme of engineering. It was nominated as a representative work of Cooper—one of the nation's leading hydroelectric engineers in the early 20th century—and his only project in his home state of Minnesota.