York Haven Dam
Encyclopedia
York Haven Dam is a low head
, run-of-the river, dam
and hydroelectric plant on the Susquehanna River
, United States
. The dam is south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
, at the Conewago Falls, where the river drops 19 feet in 1/4 mile. When the dam was completed in 1904, it was the third largest in the world.
The major axis of the 5,000 foot diversion dam is north to south and connects to a 3,000 foot 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 further up 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 hydroelectric plant generates 19-20 Megawatts of power. The plant has 13 horizontal generators that produce up to 1,000 kilowatts each. There are 7 vertical generators that generate between 1,200 and 1,600 kilowatts apiece. Four of the vertical units use Kaplan turbine
s. The plant uses one of the first Kaplan turbines installed in the United States
, which is listed as a National Historic Engineering Landmark
.
The ownership, as of 2006-08-20, runs York Haven Power Company owned by Metropolitan Edison Company, which is an operating company of FirstEnergy Corporation. The plant's FERC license runs through August 2014.
Hydraulic head
Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of water pressure above a geodetic datum. It is usually measured as a water surface elevation, expressed in units of length, at the entrance of a piezometer...
, run-of-the river, dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
and hydroelectric plant on the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The dam is south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, at the Conewago Falls, where the river drops 19 feet in 1/4 mile. When the dam was completed in 1904, it was the third largest in the world.
The major axis of the 5,000 foot diversion dam is north to south and connects to a 3,000 foot 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
York Haven, Pennsylvania
York Haven is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 709 at the 2010 census. The borough is the home of the Brunner Island coal-fired electrical generation plant, located on the Susquehanna River on Wago Road and operated by PPL.-Geography:York Haven is located at...
. The north end lands at Three Mile Island. There is a smaller dam further up 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 hydroelectric plant generates 19-20 Megawatts of power. The plant has 13 horizontal generators that produce up to 1,000 kilowatts each. There are 7 vertical generators that generate between 1,200 and 1,600 kilowatts apiece. Four of the vertical units use Kaplan turbine
Kaplan turbine
The Kaplan turbine is a propeller-type water turbine which has adjustable blades. It was developed in 1913 by the Austrian professor Viktor Kaplan, who combined automatically adjusted propeller blades with automatically adjusted wicket gates to achieve efficiency over a wide range of flow and...
s. The plant uses one of the first Kaplan turbines installed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which is listed as a National Historic Engineering Landmark
National Historic Engineering Landmark
National Historic Engineering Landmarks are engineering achievements of historic importance that have been identified by their relevant engineering society.* American Society of Civil Engineers designates National Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks...
.
The ownership, as of 2006-08-20, runs York Haven Power Company owned by Metropolitan Edison Company, which is an operating company of FirstEnergy Corporation. The plant's FERC license runs through August 2014.