The owners of the Holtwood Hydropower Project on the Susquehanna River are seeking a new 30-50 year federal license for their project. American Whitewater is working closely with local boaters to ensure that recreation and river ecology are addressed in the new license. Over a decade ago, we negotiated a whitewater park below Holtwood Dam as mitigation for a massive expansion of the hydropower operations that damaged and dewatered rapids. If you’ve used the Holtwood Whitewater Park, we encourage you to help inform the new license by filling out a power company survey.
When filling out the survey, you will be asked to share your opinions on the quality and safety of various aspects of the park. There is an important comment section at the end where you can share your detailed thoughts. Please take the survey and fill out the Whitewater Boating Area section.
Under the current federal license, the power company provides approximately 264 hours of dam releases through the whitewater park annually. These releases are seasonally constrained by various factors, including limits on summer releases to benefit a rare plant living in the typically dewatered riverbed. The whitewater park itself offers two primary features. The first feature is a large, fast wave that surges through cycles of retentiveness. The second feature is a shallow hole that is constrained by lateral concrete walls. At the bottom of the park is a grade control structure that also makes a wave.
American Whitewater and local boaters have argued that the design of the features does not meet the original intent and would benefit from a review and tune-up and that the needs of rare plants should be studied before continuing the strict limits on summer releases. Local leaders in the river community suggest that a smoother and more stable top wave followed by a deeper hole at the second feature would improve the whitewater park’s appeal and function. Whatever your opinion of the Holtwood Park, please take the survey so the future can be based on public feedback.
American Whitewater’s work on this project is supported by members and donors like you. Thank you for taking the survey and providing your feedback!