Editing Canal (section)

===Power canals===
{{main|Power canal}}
A '''power canal''' refers to a canal used for [[hydropower|hydraulic power]] generation, rather than for transport. Nowadays power canals are built almost exclusively as parts of [[hydroelectric power station]]s. Parts of the United States, particularly in the [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]], had enough fast-flowing rivers that [[water power]] was the primary means of powering factories (usually textile mills) until after the [[American Civil War]]. For example, [[Lowell, Massachusetts]], considered to be "The Cradle of the American Industrial Revolution," has {{convert|6|mi| km}} of canals, built from around 1790 to 1850, that provided water power and a means of transportation for the city. The output of the system is estimated at 10,000 [[horsepower]].<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.nps.gov/archive/lowe/loweweb/Lowell%20History/prologue.htm | title = Lowell National Historical Park – Lowell History Prologue | access-date = 8 October 2008}}</ref> Other cities with extensive power canal systems include [[Lawrence, Massachusetts]], [[Holyoke, Massachusetts]], [[Manchester, New Hampshire]], and [[Augusta Canal|Augusta, Georgia]]. The most notable power canal was built in 1862 for the [[Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company]].