Delano Municipal Utilities
The village of Crow River was platted in 1868. The name was changed to Delano in 1870, and the town was incorporated in 1876. As the town grew, so did its need for municipal improvements. Ten streetlights were installed in 1879 “at the most necessary points on our streets” and a city well dug. By 1893 the local citizens were indicating that the town should have electric lights and a system of waterworks. A petition was presented to the city council asking that the council call a special election for considering the matters of establishing waterworks and of putting in a four and a half foot dam. A special election was held in April 1894 to consider the proposition of issuing ten $1,000 bonds for waterworks and electric lights. It passed with 128 in favor and 64 votes against.
The building was erected on south River Street, on the east bank of the Crow River and about on block north of what is now Highway 12. The power plant was a direct current distribution system with wood-burning steam engine generating equipment. It was decided to use the water system not only for fire protection, but also for domestic use. Thus, they abandoned the idea of using the river as a water source, and put in wells and a water tower. When the waterworks were completed an agreement was made with the Great Northern Railway Co. to furnish that company with water for its water tanks at Delano.
In the early years electricity was available only in the evening hours, but in 1898 it was also made available for use in the morning. People on the west side of town wanted electricity out past the west end of the bridge and up the Watertown road. In April of 1907 the council decided to use coal instead of wood as fuel at the powerhouse and also to shut off the water at night. In December of that same year it was decided to extend the electric lights to the west side of the river
By 1915 D.C. current was not considered ample and the power plant was not efficient. Local citizens convinced the then Minneapolis General Electric Co. to build an A.C. current high line, and 24 hour electric service was established. In 1927 Delano built its own electric distribution system. Delano was the only town in Wright County to have a municipally owned light and power plant. With its population expanding, once again capacity was being reached. An election was held in 1931 to vote on the issue of building a new diesel power plant. The vote was 437 yes and 36 no. The new building was erected on the west end of the bridge over the Crow River, on a site that for many years had been lumber yards, and opened for use on January 12, 1932.
The power plant and the transformer station were surrounded by sandbags during the 1957 flood.
Again the power plant flooded during the 1965 flood, and a Navy helicopter was necessary to rescue five men stranded in the facility: Leonard Logston, Milton Voltin, Darwin Voltin, George Schaar and Edward Libor. The waters were too high and the current too fast for boat rescue.
Delano is a member of the Central Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, which is compromised of 16 members municipalities located in the State of Minnesota, each of which owns and operates an electric generation and distribution system. It is through the association with the Agency that the Delano Municipal Utility is able to negotiate long-term low cost wholesale power.