BIRCH LAKE
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 4 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Lake County
- Operator
- MINNESOTA POWER INC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1923
- EIA plant ID
- 1902
- Coordinates
- 47.9343, -91.7641
BIRCH LAKE, a 4 MW Hydro power plant in Lake County, Minnesota. Operated by MINNESOTA POWER INC, commissioned 1923.
Weather peril exposure
BIRCH LAKE is a 4 MW hydro power plant in Lake County, MN, operated by MINNESOTA POWER INC, commissioned in 1923. Lake County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.8 of 5 at the 21st national percentile. Winter weather is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 96th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a hydro plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Lake County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 96th | 4.8 of 5 | 24.5 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 89th | 4.6 of 5 | 25.1 |
| Riverine flooding | Very Low | 73rd | 3.9 of 5 | 0.29 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 58th | 3.3 of 5 | 0.23 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 58th | 3.3 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Ice storm | Very Low | 48th | 2.9 of 5 | 0.13 |
| Hail | Very Low | 38th | 2.5 of 5 | 0.53 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 14th | 1.6 of 5 | 0.12 |
| Coastal flooding | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 2nd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.46 |
Perils not assessed in Lake County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Earthquake | FEMA rating is "No Rating" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Lake County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.