Levels

A few words about water levels at Holtwood.  Basically, they're almost impossible to predict because of the Hydro dam.  For the playspots to be running, water must be spilling over the dam.  The dam can put a maximum of 30,000cfs through the turbines, which is released into the tailrace, and is therefore diverted away from all of the playspots above the bridge- and most of those below the bridge.  However, the actual release into the tailrace varies, meaning the amount of water spilling over the dam varies, and can do so very quickly.  It's not unusual for the water to rise or fall in excess of a foot in a matter of minutes, so if you set your drybag, waterbottle, videocamera, etc on the rocks, make sure it's high enough it won't get washed away.  To compound things even more, there are three inflatable bladders on the river left half of the dam.  When these are deflated, more water is diverted into the Storm Channel, and less into the Main Channel.  Other weird things happen too, such as generally the water is lower in the morning and higher later in the day.

Confused yet?  The bottom line is that the level can change rapidly, is not well related to any gauge, and is not necessarily relative between different playspots.  That being said, the Susquehanna at Harrisburg gauge can be used as a rough estimate, which is what I've done for this guide.  I've given a range of levels for each spot that should give a good chance of catching each spot, though it's certainly possible for the spot to be there at higher or lower water.  The levels given are my best estimates and/or guesses. Also keep in mind that there is a 12 hour or more delay between the level at Harrisburg and at Holtwood. 

Some people also go by CFS at Marrietta, as this is farther downstream and possibly more accurate, but tradition seems to go by the Harrisburg guage. 

Another source of information is the Holtwood hotline at 1800 692 6328. You can also get the hotline recording online at: www.shwpc.com This sometimes tells you if the inflatable dam sections are up or down, but not always. The website also gives lake level forecasts, but these seem to be rather dubious.

Another useful link is the NWS River Forcast out of State College.  It gives 2-3 day forcasts for 7a.m. levels at Harrisburg, along with median daily flows and predictions about when the river will crest.  It's a guide but should not be taken as gospel.