Notre Dame opens hydroelectric facility along St. Joseph River
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2:37
Notre Dame holds commencement ceremony
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0:36
’Empower Women’ fundraiser raises money for local charity
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0:59
Mishawaka Youth Advisory Council celebrates Pocket Park
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2:27
Expecting multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms through...
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1:42
Mother-Daughter Duo turns tassels together at Notre Dame graduation...
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2:29
Summer-like couple of days; tracking a storm threat this week
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Remembering Pastor Emeritus Reverend Lefate Owens Sr.
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South Bend takes part in ’Kids to Park Day’
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2:53
Feeling summer-like in the short-term, but tracking severe threat
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2:16
Girls on the Run Michiana hosts 5k run in South Bend today!
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1:35
Surging into the 80s with abundant sunshine this weekend
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South Bend Police Department holds annual memorial for fallen...
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. - Last month, the University of Notre Dame hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on a new 2.5 megawatt, 10-turbine hydroelectric plant under Seitz Park in downtown South Bend.
Notre Dame broke ground on the plant in 2019 as part of a partnership with South Bend's Venues Parks and Arts.
After some pandemic-related delays, it started generating power for the university in May and has been running at around 70% capacity ever since.
Here's how it works: hydropower plants capture the energy of falling water to generate electricity. Then, it's sent to campus through underground lines.
The plant is expected to generate about 7% of the university’s electrical needs and reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 9,700 tons a year.
That puts Notre Dame one step closer to its goal of being a carbon-neutral campus by the year 2050.
The university also gave the city $1 million to help restore Sietz Park, highlighting the Firefighters Memorial, the River Lights Plaza, and the fish ladder.
There will also be a new performance pavilion.