Clean water

Associated Electric built Thomas Hill Lake to provide cooling water for our members’ power plant. The lake also provides recreation for the community and habitat for wildlife. Associated Electric works with the Missouri Department of Conservation, which manages the lake for fishing and wildlife habitat.

We use a lot of water to generate electricity - and return almost every drop of it

Water is a vital resource for power plant operations, and Associated Electric Cooperative is committed to ensuring the quality of the small percent we consume, as well as the water we return. At all of our plants, Associated Electric fully complies with the Clean Water Act, which requires water and discharge permits.

Primarily a cooling source, water used for generating electricity for our members comes from the Mississippi River; groundwater wells; purchased water supplies; and the Thomas Hill Lake, which we built for our power plant.

We remove corrosive minerals that could damage equipment from the small amount of water we consume. This water is heated in a closed loop of tubes and used to make steam that turns turbines and then the generator to produce electricity.

But the bulk of the water is used to cool and condense that steam, and then returned to the source at slightly warmer, regulated temperatures.

This water, as well as all water that travels from Associated Electric’s plants and grounds, is monitored to ensure its quality and compliance with environmental regulations.

Associated Electric has won national recognition for its innovative practices, care of resources and improved water quality.