Public Safety Information

Traffic, recreational access limited in Holtwood Dam area during construction

With the return of spring and the increase in outdoor activities, PPL reminds recreational users of the land around the Holtwood Dam that access for recreation will continue to be restricted during the $434 million construction project that started recently to increase the generation of clean, renewable energy.

Because the construction will result in increased vehicle traffic and the use of heavy equipment in and around the Holtwood Dam area, PPL is taking this action to protect public safety within the natural areas on PPL’s property.

Only authorized vehicles will be allowed to enter the area bordered by the Susquehanna River, Old Holtwood Road, New Village Road and a portion of Pinnacle Road until construction is completed in the spring of 2013.

That area also will be closed to recreational activities, including hiking and hunting, during the construction project. Areas closed to the public include Face Rock overlook and several hiking trails. Posted signs direct

hikers around the restricted area. In addition, “no trespassing” signs posted on Old Holtwood Road and around the perimeter of the restricted area alert the public to the changes.

The Holtwood Dam tailrace, the channel in which water leaves the power plant, has been closed to shoreline fishing, and boating in the Susquehanna River from the Norman Wood Bridge to the tailrace also is not allowed during construction for safety reasons. Shoreline fishing remains available nearby at Safe Harbor and Muddy Run.

Last summer, PPL posted “no trespassing” signs in the area of the Pequea Creek, known locally as Suzy’s Hole. This action, taken in cooperation with the Pennsylvania State Police and Pennsylvania Game

Commission, remains in effect along a one-mile area that parallels state game lands and the Pequea Creek from River Road to Fox Hollow Road in Martic Township.

Police will prosecute those who violate the “no trespassing” restriction.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved a request by PPL Holtwood to add 125 megawatts of clean, renewable electric generating capacity at the plant. The estimated $434 million project would add enough new renewable energy generation to power 100,000 homes, improve fish lifts that enable migratory fish to reach spawning areas upstream along the Susquehanna River and its tributaries, and create nearly 200 construction jobs.