Xcel Energy operates the Cedar Falls Hydroelectric Project, which impounds Tainter Lake. The project consists of a long high dam located near Cedar Falls, Wisconsin. Its powerhouse contains three 2,000 kW electrical generators with a total capacity of 7.1 MW. The facility can produce over 33.6 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year.Federal Register. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Project No. 2697-014. February 4, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 23). It is a modified run-of-the-river hydroelectricity project. The Cedar Falls dam was originally a timber dam and was replaced with a concrete dam in 1910. New generators were added in 1912 and 1915 and the project has changed little since that time.Xcel Energy. Western Wisconsin Hydro Plants. Accessed May 4, 2007. In 2005 the dam's gates were upgraded to include Obermeyer spillway gates with inflatable rubber bladders that allow more consistent water levels on the lake through the year.Xcel Energy. Installation of spillway gate nearing completion at Cedar Falls Dam. Accessed May 4, 2007. Before the installation of the inflatable gates, the dam featured gates made of plywood that were designed to break as the ice melted. During the installation of the inflatable gates the water level of the lake dropped about 5 or . This caused the water to erode some of the land that people put their docks on. When the water level returned to normal residents living on the lake with docks had to shorten the length of their dock because the water had become significantly deeper.
