York Haven Dam facts for kids

York Haven Dam is a low head, run-of-the river, dam and hydroelectric plant on the Susquehanna River, United States. The dam is 12 miles (19 km) south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at the Conewago Falls impounding about 8,000 feet (2,400 m) of the river to the west side of Three Mile Island, where the river drops 19 feet (5.8 m) in 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km). When the dam was completed in 1904, it was the third largest in the world.

The major axis of the 5,000-foot (1,500 m) diversion dam is north to south and connects to a 3,000-foot (910 m) headrace which heads southeast. The dam and headrace are laid out along natural rock formations in the river. The south eastern end is on the "western" bank at York Haven. The north end lands at Three Mile Island. There is a smaller dam and fish passage further up the east side of Three Mile Island that completes the crossing to the eastern bank of the river.

The hydroelectric plant is at the south eastern end near the western bank of the river. The dam is situated in three municipalities in three separate counties: Londonderry Township, Dauphin County; Conoy Township, Lancaster County; and York Haven Borough, York County.

The hydroelectric plant generates 20–21 megawatts (27,000–28,000 hp) of power. The plant has 13 horizontal generators that generate between 1000 and 1200 kW each. There are seven vertical generators that generate between 1,200 and 1,600 kilowatts (1,600 and 2,100 hp) apiece. Six of the vertical units use S. Morgan Smith Kaplan turbines. The plant uses one of the first Kaplan turbines installed in the United States, which is listed as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark.

The plant's FERC license runs through August 2014.

The current ownership of the York Haven Hydro Project is Cube Hydro Partners, LLC, a portfolio company of I Squared Capital.