Holtwood Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Holtwood Dam |
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Holtwood Dam on the Susquehanna River
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| Official name | Holtwood Hydroelectric Plant |
| Location | Martic Township, Lancaster County / Lower Chanceford Township, York County, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Coordinates | 39°49′36″N 76°20′10″W / 39.82667°N 76.33611°W |
| Construction began | 1905 |
| Opening date | 1910 |
| Operator(s) | Talen Energy |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Susquehanna River |
| Height | 55 feet (17 m) |
| Length | 2,392 feet (729 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Aldred |
Holtwood Dam is a very old and important dam on the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, USA. It's one of three big dams built on the lower part of the river. This dam helps create electricity!
It was built a long time ago, between 1905 and 1910. Back then, it was called the McCalls Ferry Dam. Later, it was renamed Holtwood to honor some important people from the company that built it.
Over the years, different companies have owned and operated the dam. Today, it's run by Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners.
Contents
Holtwood Hydroelectric Plant: Making Electricity
The Holtwood Hydroelectric Plant is a power station that uses water to make electricity. It can produce 252 megawatts of power. That's enough electricity for many homes!
The plant uses 14 special machines called turbines. These turbines spin when water flows through them. This spinning motion then powers generators that create electricity.
The dam itself is mostly a long concrete wall. It has a special section called a spillway where water flows over the top. At one end, there's a powerhouse where the electricity is made. The dam also uses wooden boards and inflatable sections to control the water level.
Helping Fish Travel Upstream
Dams can block fish from swimming upstream to lay their eggs. To help fish, the Holtwood Dam has a special "fish lift." This lift helps fish like american shad get over the dam safely.
The first fish ladder built here wasn't very good. So, in the mid-1990s, a new fish lift was built. It was damaged by a big flood in 1996, but it was fixed quickly. The new fish lift started working in 1997 and has been helping fish ever since.
A Special Bearing in the Generators
One of the generators at Holtwood, Generator No. 5, has a very special part. It's called a Kingsbury thrust bearing. This part is so important that it's been named an International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark!
Before this special bearing was used, other parts would wear out very quickly. The generator weighs about 220 tons, which is like 220 small cars! The Kingsbury bearing has been working perfectly since 1912.
Lake Aldred and Coal Mining
The water held back by the dam forms a lake called Lake Aldred. Long ago, this lake was used for something unusual: mining coal! Tiny pieces of anthracite coal would wash down the river from coal mining areas. These small pieces were called "fines."
Workers would dredge, or scoop up, these coal fines from the lake. This coal was then used at a nearby power station called the Holtwood Steam Generator station. Over time, it became harder to find enough coal fines, and new environmental rules made this kind of mining impractical. So, coal eventually had to be brought in by train.
Expansion Project: More Power!
In 2008, the company that owned the dam at the time, PPL, announced plans to make the plant even bigger. They wanted to add a second powerhouse.
The plan was approved in 2009. Construction started in 2010 and finished in December 2013. The new powerhouse added 125 megawatts of power. This made the Holtwood plant much more powerful, increasing its total capacity to over 230 megawatts!
Fun Below the Dam
The area just below the dam is a popular spot for whitewater kayakers. There are eleven exciting spots with names where the water creates fun rapids. Sometimes, the dam even releases extra water on purpose for kayakers to enjoy the whitewater.
