BIG FALLS
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 8 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Rusk County
- Operator
- NORTHERN STATES POWER CO - MINNESOTA
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1922
- EIA plant ID
- 3983
- Coordinates
- 45.4918, -91.0471
BIG FALLS, an 8 MW Hydro power plant in Rusk County, Wisconsin. Operated by NORTHERN STATES POWER CO - MINNESOTA, commissioned 1922.
Weather peril exposure
BIG FALLS is an 8 MW hydro power plant in Rusk County, WI, operated by NORTHERN STATES POWER CO - MINNESOTA, commissioned in 1922. Rusk County carries elevated modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.1 of 5 at the 51st national percentile. Riverine flooding is the leading peril, rated Relatively Low by FEMA at the 80th 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.
Rusk County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | 0.29 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 75th | 4.0 of 5 | 32.5 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 61st | 3.5 of 5 | 2.3 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 50th | 3.0 of 5 | 16.6 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 47th | 2.9 of 5 | 0.28 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 43rd | 2.7 of 5 | 1.6 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 43rd | 2.7 of 5 | 1.8 |
| Ice storm | Very Low | 34th | 2.3 of 5 | 0.26 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 8th | 1.3 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 1st | 1.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Rusk 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 "No Rating" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Rusk 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.