Muddy Run Pumped Storage Facility was built by the Philadelphia Electric Company and is a
pumped-storage hydroelectric generation facility in
Drumore Township, Pennsylvania, United States. When completed in 1968,
Muddy Run was the largest pumped-storage facility in the world. Muddy Run has a capacity of 1,071
megawatts.
The facility is operated by the Susquehanna Electric Company, a subsidiary of
Constellation Energy. Ernest Spey was the superintendent of
Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam and the new Muddy Run facility until 1989.
The facility's upper reservoir is the Muddy Run Reservoir, with a full pool elevation of over , and a usable storage capacity of . Muddy Run Reservoir was created by damming Muddy Run with a long, high, rock-filled
dam.
The lower reservoir is the Conowingo Reservoir, created in the
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...
by the
Conowingo Dam, with a normal pool elevation of . The power house uses excess grid capacity during off peak hours to pump water from the Conowingo Reservoir into the upper reservoir through four diameter, vertical shafts. During peak power demand periods, the water is allowed to flow back from the lake through the shafts to the eight turbines causing the pumps to act as generators.
The Muddy Run electrical machinery was designed by the noted engineer
Eugene C. Whitney of
Westinghouse Electric Company, who designed the machinery for the
Grand Coulee Dam #3 powerhouse. Whitney "was present when the machines were first to be started. The operator was reluctant to take the first step. Gene said, 'Call your boss.' The boss said, 'If Gene says to start the machines, start them.' So they did, and water rose from the lower Susquehanna River to the upper reservoir, 400 feet above".
The upper reservoir extends into
Martic Township. The area around the upper reservoir is operated as a park, complementing the nearby
Susquehannock State Park. Susquehannock State Park has an overlook trail with a good view of the Muddy Run facility.
References
{{stack, {{Portal, Pennsylvania, Water, Renewable energy
Energy infrastructure completed in 1968
Dams in Pennsylvania
Hydroelectric power plants in Pennsylvania
Buildings and structures in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations in the United States
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