The Kvernåi River has been used extensively by the local community, especially for operating millhouses. In Lesja Historielag’s yearbook from 2004, there is a record of nine millhouses on a short stretch of the Kvernåi in 1746. However, it is assumed that many of the millhouses existed even earlier than this. Some of these stood until the flood in 1938, but today it is only possible to see the old roads and the foundations belonging to the millhouses.
The area around the watercourse is characterized by mountain forest. Runoff from an area of 20.5 km² is utilized here. The river converges with Gudbrandsdalslågen, a hundred meters below the established station house. Inside, the station is equipped with a Pelton turbine. The minimum water flow for the power plant is 100 l/s in the summer and 10 l/s in the winter. During a normal year, the production is 7.7 GWh, which corresponds to the electricity supply for 481 households.
