Electricity is not "made from water". The water is used to drive the turbines, which in turn drives the generators connected to them. It is the generators that make electricity. The water drives the turbines of the generator, which in turn spin a shaft on which a rotor sits and spins on top of the shaft. The rotor has magnets on it. The rotor spins inside a stationary stator which also has magnets. Electricity is produced from the electrical magnetic field that is created by the effect of the spinning magnets (rotor) inside an area of stationary magnets (stator). The production of electricity by this method is known as "hydro electricity production" is environmentally sound as no CO2 is produced. It is also an effective and efficient way to produce electricity as the water that flows from the mountains, through rivers, lakes and canals can produce electricity at each powerstation it goes through. For instance, in the Waitaki River chain there are 8 powerstations that it is possible for the water to go through before it reaches the sea.