Ben Sakmar, a hydropower coordinator for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District, cranks an electric generator display model to power a light bulb while visiting a hydropower plant at the Youghiogheny River Lake dam in Confluence, Pennsylvania, March 16, 2023. Currently, the Pittsburgh District has nine licensed and operating hydropower facilities at their dams, including five at locking facilities on navigable rivers and four at reservoirs. If all nine hydropower plants were to operate at full capacity, they could produce 570 megawatts, enough to power 670,000 households annually. Recently, Rye Development announced they would begin constructing four hydropower plants at lock and dam facilities on the Ohio, Monongahela, and Allegheny rivers. Once construction begins, it can take 24-36 months to complete a facility. The contractor expects each project to generate 150-200 family-wage jobs. In addition to providing renewable energy, the hydropower facility includes investment in new recreational fishing facilities and a walkway leading from a parking area with designated parking spaces to the fishing platform. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District photo by Michel Sauret)