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Many summers ago, they built a very small hydro station on a river near me. They built a dam to do it, but they employed a similar method to what Bicycle Bob had described.
Make an Aqueduct (big pipe) that comes out level at a certain point. Use it to create your fall. Somewhere before the generator, they necked the pipe down to increase velocity of the water. I don't remember if it was on a horizontal or vertical pipe. Then run the little pipe into your generator.
You may be able to supplement water flow by storing rain water from gutters & allowing it to flow into the system.
A water tower would work as well. Have a shutoff valve at the bottom to allow it to collect water in times of excess. Then open it in time of need.
Don
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