The dam has nothing to do with generating electricity. There is a huge pump above the dam that pumps water (from behind the dam) up to a huge reservoir on the hill top above Rt.59. The Power plant below the dam generates the electricity. The water from the reservoir on the hilltop is what is used to run the turbines and generate the electricity. That reservoir has been empty for most of the summer and recently when it was filled, it had to be drained again because of a leak they found. I don't know if it is back up and running as of yet or not.
The dam is a top release all summer and you wont see bottom release during the summer unless there is high water and the discharge rate exceeds 4000 or 5000cfs is usually when the bottom gates get opened. In the late fall when they drop it to winter pool they switch it over to bottom release for the duration of the winter until they raise it back up to summer pool level in the spring.

info on the elk heard;  benzette pa.  also, you can go up to the old train bridge north of rt 6 for the kids.  train rides out of marienville.  clarion river for bass fishing or farther north for big browns.  there are plenty of places to fish up there.  you would need to drive and explore.  canoe trips on allegheny and clarion.  oil creek for fly fishing (see posts on this site)  have a great vaca!

http://paelk.com/

OK i dont understand the release. i see the water coming from the top chutes. I also see water coming from the bottom chutes.
Are you telling me that water from the top of the dam can come out at the bottom? I never understood this but there is water coming from both places right now. And I do know they shut the top chutes off in the winter.

There is no water coming from the bottom chutes unless that changed since yesterday. During the spring you will see top and bottom gates open, or when they are kicking out excessive amounts like 15,000 or above. but in general when the water is at normal pool levels, in the summer its from the top only, and in the winter its from the bottom.
However one scenario might occur and that's if the water above the dam gets too low below summer pool and then the top gates wont work and will have to discharge from the bottom. But generally speaking unless there are extenuating circumstances.. the top gates are summer discharge and bottom are winter.
Generally :)

This pic shows the top resevoir behind the power plant. I never knew it existed until Ubertracker sent me the picture. You can't see it from below. I had always assumed like Bings that the water coming through the main dam is what drove the turbines but that is not the case.

Thanks for the info. I knew about the pumped storage but thought there was still hydropower being generated from the water coming from the dam.

i was aloways told that the pool was water being pumped during low power periods and then brought down through during peak power, but i guess if you look at differential pressure you get quite a bit of power by pumping it up on the hill first
for all the generation

Stop at the visitors center.
They explain it all, there.
 
USACE states that they try to maintain traditional river temps.
 

no more train ride out of marinville
that i know of
but a new psp barrack is being put up
just on 899 in marinville that will
probly hinder much bar hopping

Sent off an email to the Army Corps at Kinzua dam to see what explainations they might have for the water temp rising and falling. Got this reply.



Mr. Crosby,
Thank you for contacting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers PittsburghDistrict. The resource manager at Kinzua provided the following explanation for thechange in water temps: The reason there is a difference in the water temperature is because of thedischarge from the Hydropower plant, and yes the water is cooler because ofthe elevation (in the lake) from where the water is drawn from for the hydropower. Actually the left side looking downstream from the dam where thepower plant discharge is cooler than the right side of the channel, which is dominated by the discharge from the dam itself. So there's warmer water on the left and cooler on the right when the plant discharges water downstream. If you have further questions please feel free to contact me.

Best regards,
Sheila