Mountain Island Lake
Mountain Island Lake | |
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Mountain Island | |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
Mountain Island Lake is a lake northwest of
River, water, and lake access
Mountain Island Lake is fed by the Catawba River, and is the smallest of the three
Power generation
The lake generates
Mountain Island Hydro Station
Mountain Island Hydro Station is a four-unit generating facility with a capacity of 60 megawatts located in Gaston County, North Carolina. It was built in 1923 to meet the growing demand for electricity by homeowners in the Carolinas. At the time, electricity was largely used by industrial customers.
Riverbend Steam Station
Riverbend Steam Station was a 454 megawatt, coal-fired generating facility located in Gaston County, North Carolina. It was first built in 1929. The four-unit station was named for a bend in the Catawba River on which it was located. Riverbend was used as a cycling station and was brought on line to supplement supply when electricity demand was highest. Four gas-fired combustion turbine units were also housed on the site. The four gas-fired turbines were retired in October 2012. The power house and stacks were demolished in 2018, with remediation of the
Water pollution
The
Attractions
Inside of Mountain Island Lake is a large island called
Carolina Raptor Center
The Carolina Raptor Center is dedicated to environmental stewardship and the conservation of birds of prey, through education, research, and the rehabilitation of injured and orphan raptors. Over 23 different species of raptors are on a 3/4 mile long nature trail inside Latta Plantation Nature Preserve, on the banks of Mountain Island Lake.
Historic Latta Plantation
The Plantation was built in 1800 and called Latta Place after its owner James Latta, an immigrant from Northern Ireland. Latta was a successful traveling merchant through 1820. He then retired and turned his property into a cotton plantation consisting of 742 acres and 34 enslaved people. After Mr. Latta's death in 1837, his wife Jane sold the property to David Harry. In 1853, William Sample purchased the property; it was owned by the Sample family until 1922. Crescent Land and Timber, a subsidiary of Duke Power, then purchased the property because of its proximity to the Catawba River and the construction of the dam. It is now a museum.
See also
References
- ^ Banks, Michael. "Duke Energy, state reach deal on coal ash". Gaston Gazette. Archived from the original on 2020-11-02. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- ^ Division of Water Quality seeks public comment about consent order for coal-fired facilities Archived 2022-06-23 at the Wayback Machine. Mountain Xpress.com (2013-7-16). Retrieved on 2013-08-08.