Muddy Run Pumped Storage Facility is a pumped storage generating station that is used to generate electricity for peak demand usually during the morning and early evening hours. At night as electricity demand decreases, the units are reversed and used as pumps to fill the upper reservoir for subsequent peak demand periods. The 14-mile stretch of the Susquehanna River, known as the Conowingo pond serves as the lower reservoir for the Muddy Run facility.
The facility features include an 8-unit 1,071 megawatt (MW) power station at the rivers edge and a 1,000-acre upper reservoir created by damming the Muddy Run ravine approximately 0.5 miles from its mouth. The Muddy Run Dam is an earthen dam comprised of a rock fill with a central impervious core. The overall length of the dam is 4,800 feet and the height above the valley bottom is approximately 260 feet. Water from the upper reservoir drops 343 feet vertically through four, 25-foot diameter intake shafts. The shafts then run horizontally for another 525 feet before splitting into eight, 14-foot diameter steel lined tunnels, which direct the water to the eight (8) turbines. There are eight 17 ft. 11in. diameter turbines capable of producing 138,000 horsepower each.
The facility has provided electric power regional transmission system since it first began commercial operation in 1966. The general plant configuration remains the same as the original construction in 1966. However, the turbines and generators have been recently refurbished.
The Muddy Run Recreational Park contains a 100-acre lake surrounded by 700 acres of wood and field areas. The habitat is suited for Eastern blue bird and other songbirds, bald eagles, ducks, geese and white-tailed deer among many other creatures. The park is designed to meet family recreational needs including camping, biking, hiking, boating and fishing. The park includes a campground and a boat launch with electric and rowboats available at the boat dock.