With all due respect to Mother Nature, canoers and kayakers are gushing over the world-class rapids generated by Mirant's Dickerson power plant.
For those preferring to stay on dry land, Dickerson helps ensure a steady supply of electricity in the economically and politically powerful Washington, D.C. area. The plant's county neighbors include such renowned institutions as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Institutes of Health, and the National Naval Medical Center.
The 900-by-30-foot canal is fed by water released from the plant after it cools steam condensers. In 1991, concrete boulders were added, transforming the area into a whitewater nirvana that rapidly became a year-round training destination for Olympic canoeing and kayaking hopefuls. The venue was selected for the 2002 U.S. National Championships of Whitewater Canoeing and Kayaking.
Environmental Outreach
- Emissions-reducing scrubbers to be installed beginning in 2007
- Baghouse designed to remove 99.8% of flyash
- Electrostatic precipitators designed to remove 99.5% of flyash
- Stacked monitoring equipment for opacity (smoke), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2)
- Water injection for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) control on H1CT & H2CT
- Waste water treatment system
- Sewage treatment plant designed for 30,000 gallons per day
- All plant discharge points monitored for contaminants
- All coal pile run-off water collected for treatment
Community Outreach
Habitat for Humanity
Dickerson employees helped build a townhome in Burtonsville, Md., for Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County. Mirant also gave $10,000 to the organization.
Watershed Clean Up
Dickerson employees support the Potomac Watershed Clean Up, held annually on the first Saturday in April. Dickerson is one of more than 100 cleanup sites along the Potomac Watershed, and plant staff worked side by side with community members to remove an average of 30 large trash bags of litter, including items such as old tires and refrigerators.
Charitable Donations
- The Annapolis Center
- Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin-Potomac
River Sojourn - John Poole Middle School
- Montgomery County Chamber Valor Awards
- Poolesville High School
- Upper Montgomery County Fire Department
- Western Upper Montgomery County Help
The Benefits of Competition in Maryland