Riverside Inn, Lake Flower dam, and a bit of the Paul Smiths Building, undated.
Courtesy of Philip Griffin.The Lake Flower dam and the Paul Smiths Building, 20221895 Sanborn map detailCaptain Pliny Miller built a sawmill in 1827, damming the Saranac River at the point of the current dam. This is said to have been the first dam in the area, and allowed Miller to float logs from the length of the newly flooded river valley.  The dam resulted in the formation of what came to be called the Mill Pond (Lake Flower), Miller Pond (Middle Saranac Lake), and Kiwassa and Oseetah lakes.

Ownership of the dam has proven to be contentious. Pliny Miller owned the dam and surrounding 400 acres when it was built, and Ensine Miller inherited it, but apparently never sold or willed it to his heirs. The village argued that it belonged to the state when expensive repairs were called for.  The Saranac Lake Electric Company is said to have purchased the dam in 1894, and that company was bought by Paul Smith's Electric Company in 1907.  Niagara Mohawk merged with the Paul Smiths company in 1966, though after 1942 they stopped generating power from the site.

Plattsburgh Sentinel, February 12, 1892

1899 Sanborn map detailTo Improve the Saranac.

Assemblyman Edward Hall's bill to improve the Saranac river in Essex and Franklin counties, directs the superintendent of public works to remove from the Saranac river from the dam at Saranac lake, Franklin county, to Miller's pond, a distance of about 3 1/2 miles, trees and other obstructions, including decayed stumps and all other decaying substances necessary for the protection of the water. The sum of $20,000 is appropriated for the work, to be paid on the warrant of the comptroller.

The Sun, April 21, 1892

ON Wednesday of last week Governor Flower slaughtered over $90,000 worth of appropriations, the $20,000 appropriation to improve and clear Saranac river above the dam at Saranac lake being one of the victims. The Governor gives as his reasons that the proposed appropriation is exclusively for the benefit of local interests, and that he does " not think the people of the State will approve lavish appropriations for localities."

Elizabethtown Post, May 5, 1898

On Saturday last Governor Black signed Assemblyman Sears' bill appropriating $10,000 to be used by the Superintendent of Public Works in constructing, under contract, at a location to be determined by the Board of Health of Saranac Lake village, a dam across the Saranac River at Saranac Lake.

1903 Sanborn map detailPlattsburgh Sentinel, August 31, 1900

THE NEW STATE DAM.

On the Saranac River Above Saranac Lake.

The visitor to the site of the old State dam in the Saranac River at the present time can obtain a very good idea of the work that has been and is being done at this place.

It will be remembered that something over one year ago, Messrs. Gillette, Hay & Gillette, of Rochester, were awarded a contract for .the erection of a stone dam, where was once located a wooden structure. The building of such a dam, it was calculated, would raise the water in the upper part of the river as well as the entire lower lake, some fifteen to twenty inches. Navigation with small boats, heretofore unable to make a complete circuit between the lake and the dam would be rendered possible.

Hampered by numerous complications the work was only partly completed when the cold weather set in. During the time intervening between the closing down of the work and the return of the warm weather those who had the matter in hand brought forward the project of building a lock in the dam by which small steamers could overcome the rise and fall and might thereby be enabled to make the trip in its entirety. The Legislature favored the plan and passed a bill authorizing the construction of the lock and carry with it an appropriation of about $6000.

Proposals and bids were asked for and Joseph H. Connors was the lowest. Mr. Connors is from Fulton, N. Y., and has other State contracts now under way. Mr. Connors has a neat little camp near the dam and is accompanied by his wife during his stay at this place.1908 Sanborn map detail

The work as left by Messrs. Gillette, Hay & Gillette consisted of a very substantial stone dam about eighty feet long, with a floodgate at one end The other end of the dam had not yet been constructed nor had the coping stones been placed in position.

As soon as Mr. Connors had placed his machinery in position he began the erection of a large coffer dam extending entirely across the river both above and below the site chosen for the proposed lock. This dam has not yet been completed but a large force of men are hunrying the work with all possible dispatch.

When the coffer dam is completed and the water pumped out a perfectly dry bed will have been obtained in which to work.

At the westerly end of the dam as now stands the upper gates of the new lock will be placed. The width of the lock will be eighteen feet and the length over all will be seventy feet Each of the upper gates will be nine feet wide by ten feet high. The lower gates will be the same in width but will be about fifteen feet high. The openings through which the lock will be fed after the boats are in will be 3 ft 8 in by 2 ft. 6 in.  It is estimated that a sixty foot boat can lock through in less than ten minutes.1916 Sanborn map detail

The manner in which the lock is to be built is something entirely new in this work, and while it might be said that it is an experiment the worth of this kind of work has been too thoroughly shown to allow even a shadow of doubt to arise as to its practicability.

In the first place the stone crusher which has crushed stone for our streets has been called into use on this occasion and has been removed to the shore near the dam. By this means the rough field stone will be utilized. After being crushed to required fineness the product passes to a mixer where sand and Atlas Portland Cement are mixed with it and this mixture is then laid in layers about eight inches thick and readily attaching itself to the large boulders and subsequently hardening, the entire mass soon becomes as hard as the native rocks and as stable. When the lock is about complete a top dressing of fine cement will be added, making a smooth and level surface.

The gates are so arranged that they can be operated by one man and no lock tender will be required. The completion of the work is set for October 15th. although it is possible that boats can be locked through sometime before that date.

State Engineer F. B. Morse, of Albany, is in camp at the dam and inspects the work in every stage, thereby insuring satisfactory work. Mr. Connors has had many years experience in this kind of work and it goes without saying that the job will be strictly first-class and the work lacking nothing to make it first-class.

The completion of the lock will mark a new era in Saranac river navigation and will be a decided boon to the pleasure seekers and tourists who frequent this section.

—Saranac Lake Enterprise.

Malone Farmer, September 24, 1902

At a meeting of the state court of claims in Albany last week Tuesday the claim of Benjamin E. Hall, which was the largest on the calendar, went over the term. Hall's claim is for $31,000 for the appropriation of land and water power in Harrietstown for the construction of the state dam across the Saranac river near Saranac Lake. The case was tried years ago and Hall recovered $2,088. He wants more and appealed the case, to the supreme court, which sent it back for re-trial.

Malone Farmer, January 27, 1904
The Oseetah Lake Company of Saranac Lake has been incorporated with the secretary of state to navigate the Saranac river and its tributaries and lakes Flower, Oseetah and Kiwassa, and Lower, Middle and Upper Saranac lakes. The capital is $15,000 and the directors are- B. E. Hall, Addis K. Botsford, Donald MacGregor, A. D. Owens and M. E. Jackson.1902 USGS Saranac quad showing the changes in Oseetah after the dam was raised.
Note that the original shoreline is shown before later flooding, crosshatched.

Lake Placid News, April 1, 1938

WORK ON SARANAC RIVER DAM IS SPEEDED UP

Work on Saranac river WPA dam project has been speeded up with more men added to the rolls by Village Manager Miller Johnson. The spring-like weather of the past week enabled the two shifts of workers to speed up and complete the sluiceway thru which the river will flow while the dam is being built.

The dam that is being placed is located on the site upon which Capt. Pliny Miller once built a sawmill. Later it was taken over by Alonzo Blood, [almost certainly Orlando Blood] who organized Saranac Lake's first electric light company.  Still later it passed partly into the hands of the Paul Smiths Light and Power company altho the village still retained rights. The project is being carried on with $10,000 contributed by the Paul Smiths company, $1,000 contributed by the village and a $22,000 labor cost will be carried by the WPA. The dam extends across the Saranac river at Main street, causing a flooding of the land to create Lake Flower.

Press-Republican, April 27, 1978

Dam cracking seen as no "immediate danger"

By TERRENCE PETTY
Staff Writer
Sara-Placid Bureau

SARANAC LAKE — Winter runoff into Lake Flower is wreaking havoc on the dam holding back the lake's waters, but there is apparently no immediate danger the structure will give way.

Last Thursday seven logs were inserted into the dam, to raise the water level for summer recreation use. Sometime Thursday night runoff busted through the seven 10-foot-logs and two others that were just below it, said Tom Carroll, water and sewer superintendent of Saranac Lake.

Saturday night all the logs in the concrete dam broke, Carroll said, and Lake Flower dropped six inches. Saranac River, just below the dam, rose even more, Carroll said.

The village inserts the logs when it wishes to raise the water level in the lake, and takes them out when it wishes to lower the lake. The logs, placed horizontally, obstruct the flow of water over the spillway. Thirteen new logs were installed Monday morning, and as of Wednesday they were still holding. "Everything's back to normal,” Carroll said.

When the 13 logs broke loose Saturday night the Saranac River rose to the bottom of the porch of Dew Drop's Restaurant, Carroll said. He said the restaurant has been flooded before.

Carroll said the village is planning to apply for federal money to replace the antiquated method of regulating the level of the lake. It would be easier and take less time to regulate the water level if gates were installed in the spillway, he said.

Carroll said he didn't know how much the gates and their installation would cost.

The surface of the dam is cracking from ice and water pressure, but Carroll said there is no immediate danger from this. The main parts of the dam are reinforced with iron and are intact, as far as he knows. But now that the cover is wearing, the reinforced parts of the dam are being threatened.

"It's like dominos," Carroll said. "There's been wear and tear on the surface, and now it's going into the second layer.”

The village is planning to apply for federal money to replace the dam itself. "The immediate problem is trying to get gates for the spillway," Carroll said.

The dam was built in 1932 and was restored in the ' mid-60s, Carroll said. It's owned by the village of Saranac Lake.

In either May or June scuba divers will investigate that part of the dam below the water level to check on its condition, Carroll said.

Adirondack Daily Enterprise, April 10, 1986

PUBLIC NOTICE

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS NOTICE TO BIDDERS FOR THE FURNISHING OF GATE EQUIPMENT FOR THE REHABILITATION OF OF THE LAKE FLOWER DAM ON THE SARANAC RIVER VILLAGE OF SARANAC LAKE NEW YORK

Sealed bids for the "Furnishing of Gate Equipment" for the rehabilitation of the Lake Flower Dam will be received by the Saranac Lake Village Manager, 10 Main Street, Saranac Lake, New York 12983 until 3:00 P.M. Local Time, May 5th, 1986, and at said office publicly, opened and read aloud. All bids must be returned in a sealed envelope marked "BID" "FURNISHING OF GATE EQUIPMENT." The Contract aided with a Federal Grant, consists of the manufacture and delivery of Embedded Parts, Guides, Discs, Stems, Controllers, Hoists and all parts and references in the Proposal Documents. Contract Documents, including the Information for Bidders, Contract Drawing and Specifications may be examined at no expense at the Office of the Village Clerk, 10 Main Street, Saranac Lake, N.Y. 12983 and the Office of Community Development, 38 Main Street, Saranac Lake, N.Y. 12983.

Each bid must be accompanied by security in an amount not less than five percent (5%) for the amount of the bid, in the form and subject to the conditions provided in the Information ,for Bidders. No bidder may withdraw his bid within forty five days after the actual date of opening thereof.

Bidders on this work will be required to comply with the President's Executive Order No. 1124R as amended, as included herein.

A Non-Collusive Bidding Certification must be included in the Bid. The right is reserved to waive any informalities in the Bid and to reject any or all bids. By Order of the Village Board of Trustees, Saranac Lake, New York, Timothy Jock, Mayor.

David S. MacDowell, Director
Office of Community Development
Pub. Apr. 19, 1986

Press-Republican, September 23, 1989

Saranac Lake braces for flood
As waters rise, Hugo's rain threatens many properties

by Chris Mele
Staff Writer
Sara-Pacid Bureau

SARANAC LAKE - Village officials were nervously eyeing the water level of swollen Lake Flower on Friday, hoping for the best but bracing for the worst as the remnants of Hurricane Hugo were expected to bring with them torrential rains today.

The greatest threat of flooding will be to some houses on the shores of the lake and to businesses along the Saranac River below the Lake Flower Dam, said Steve Paye, the villages water department superintendent.

As it was, the water department was handling unprecedented flows at the dam and sewage treatment plant as the result of a downpour Tuesday night that dropped close to three inches of rain on the area. Forecasters were predicting that Hugo could bring an added three inches of rain to the North Country.

As of Friday, Lake Flower was at ‘plus 13 inches'; the highest it had ever been known to be before was this 10 inches. The Lake Flower Dam looked like a mini-Niagara Falls as the water churned and foamed around it Officials said the dam was handling the moat water it ever has since it was replaced a little more than two years ago. Referring to Lake Flower, Paye remarked, "I bet you probably could bring a Coast Guard cutter in, it's so high."

The sewage treatment plant on Bloomingdale Road, which was designed to handle flows of 2.8 million gallons a day, was instead seeing 4 million gallons. "It's a tremendous flow” Paye said. "We're flooded down here. Everything's a mess."

Carpets at the Dew Drop Inn were already "really moist” and Aubuchon Hardware across the street on Broadway had two pumps running continuously to keep up with the week's earlier rainfall, Paye said. Both businesses are along the Saranac River in the center of the village. Village officials were especially skittish Thursday when the Department of Environmental Conservation called to say it wanted to release 12 inches of water from the Saranac chain by opening gates at its two navigational locks. Saranac Lake officials convinced the DEC to delay the deluge until they could ease the lake level first.

"Another 12 inches of water — we couldn't handle it," Paye said.

The village was letting so much water flow through the gates at the Lake Flower Dam that it was diminishing the efficiency of the hydromechanical turbines that pump water to the village's holding tank on View Street. Instead of the usual 1.1 million gallons of water, the turbines were pumping only 750,000 gallons, forcing the village to use its electric pumps at McKenzie Pond to supple- ment its water supply.

Paye said the water's current was so forceful that an 18-foot-long tree and an errant paddle boat were retrieved at the dam. Probably echoing the sentiments of most people, he said, "I would like to see it 90 degrees out and sunny."

Events to take place today in the Tri-Lakes areas were expected to go on as planned. The Oktupperfest in Tupper Lake and the Flaming Leaves Auto Rally in Lake Placid will take place as scheduled. A 25-mile competitive equestrian ride from the Paul Smith's College sports annex to Fish Creek Pond will also take place, but organizers said the trail may have to be rerouted due to potential washouts.

Adirondack Daily Enterprise, June 2, 1995

Village to pursue hydro project; residents will save

By LISA FORREST
Staff Writer
Sara-Placid Bureau

SARANAC LAKE - The Village of Saranac Lake will follow through with a hydroelectric project on the Saranac River. The result, sometime in the future, may be a drop in sewer rents. That happy prospect would come about through a nearly 50rpercent reduction in the $109,000 yearly bill the village now pays Niagara Mohawk to power its wastewater-treatment plant.

"The turbine seat is being installed as we speak," Saranac Lake Village Manager Patrick Fitzgerald said Thursday afternoon. Fitzgerald, a proponent of the project who has been one of the guiding forces since its inception, hopes to have turbine on line as early as September.

The village will begin by selling the power it generates back to Niagara Mohawk at a rate it is negotiating. Under that proposed contract, Saranac Lake will receive 3.37 cents per kilowatt hour for on-peak times and 1.76 cents per kilowatt hour for off-peak times.

But income from the sale of hydropower is "not the ultimate goal," Fitzpatrick said. "When we're paying 12 or 13 cents a kilowatt hour to run the wastewater treatment plant, getting back 3 cents is not a big deal.. That's not the end game."

The plan is to "wheel" the power it produces back to Niagara Mohawk — essentially, exchanging kilowatt hours with NiMo for ah equal amount of power to be fed to the sewage-treatment plant.

"The village currently pays" a monthly customer surcharge of $250, plus $500 for the first 40 kilowatt hours, plus 6.182 cents per kilowatt hour after that. The result last year was an electric bill of about $109,000.

Wheeling a projected 774,300 kilowatts per year would reduce costs still further by putting the village into a smaller user bracket, thereby reducing the set monthly charges.

Fitzpatrick has projected that, if wheeling were in place, the sewer-plant electric bill for this year would drop by $51,571. That would translate to a "significant reduction" of sewer rents.

Charges are currently $2.30 per 1,000 gallons, a rate that was dropped recently from $2.50 through, the use of the sewer "fund-batance.

In order to achieve the wheeling scenario with Niagara Mohawk, the village must come to an agreement with the utility to seek the approval of the state Public Service Commission. Fitzgerald does not know how long the process will take.

NiMo already has a wheeling agreement with the Tupper Lake Municipal Electric Department, which supplies power on behalf of Niagara Mohawk in that area.

The Saranac River hydro project is being built on the Lake Flower Dam, which was the site of the old Paul Smith Power and Light building. A contract of $10,840 was awarded this week to Phase 4 Builders of Turin to go forward with the project.

Fitzgerald said he expects the turbine to be installed next week. Final electrical, connections between the control panels, generator and turbine will follow,after Niagara Mohawk decides what kind of switching program will be needed.

The unanimous vote of the Saranac Lake Village Board came after months of discussion. Trustees Paul.Dupree and John Edelberg, along with former trustee Tim Moody, have voiced doubts about the undertaking.

The $600,000 cost is being covered by sewer-fund money, which was boosted last year when the village received a federal loan and grant for its wastewater-treatment plant.

 

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