Kleinschmidt Associates has announced the completion of construction of the York Haven Nature-Like Fishway Project at the York Haven Hydroelectric Project on Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River.
Developed in partnership with York Haven Power Company, LLC, the project fulfils a requirement under the facility’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) licence to provide upstream fish passage for migratory species including American shad and river herring while allowing continued operation of the 20MW hydropower plant.
The project faced technical, environmental, dam safety and construction challenges. The original design called for a 300ft-wide in-river fishway requiring substantial modifications to the existing dam. Costs increased during design development and dam safety reviews.
Located on the nearly mile-wide Susquehanna River, the fishway was required to operate across a wide range of flow conditions and withstand flood events, debris and ice loading while meeting environmental permitting requirements and integrating with the existing dam infrastructure.
Working with federal and state resource agencies, Kleinschmidt supported York Haven Power Company in securing approval for a redesigned fishway approximately 60% narrower than the original proposal. According to the company, the revised design better aligned with operational, environmental and dam safety objectives.
Further savings were achieved during construction when low river levels enabled the project team to replace a planned earth-fill cofferdam with a turbidity curtain while maintaining water quality protection requirements.
Kleinschmidt served as owner’s engineer for the project, providing technical oversight during construction. Prior to completion of the fishway, Kleinschmidt lead fisheries biologist Chris Frese died from cancer. York Haven Power Company recognised Frese during a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on 27 May 2026.
“I’m proud to be part of a strong client, consultant, and resource agency collaboration that worked to support the generation of both clean energy and year-round fish passage on the Susquehanna River. Having worked alongside Chris Frese for over a decade, I’m saddened that he could not see the fishway operate but appreciate YHPC honoring him in this way. May his legacy live on through the strong science and engineering that is contained within this fishway,” said Tyler Kreider, Kleinschmidt Associates.
“The York Haven Nature-Like Fishway embodies the future of hydropower—where innovation, environmental stewardship, and renewable energy generation advance together. By bringing together agencies, stakeholders, scientists, engineers, and construction professionals, we developed a solution that not only improves fish passage and river connectivity but also strengthens our ability to provide clean, renewable electricity to the region. This project demonstrates how collaboration and innovation can create lasting benefits for both people and the environment, and it represents the very best of what our industry can achieve,” said Neal Simmons, Chief Executive Officer of Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, York Haven Power’s parent company.
Kleinschmidt said the project is believed to be the largest nature-like fishway installed at a US hydropower facility and provides an example of how fish passage requirements can be integrated with renewable energy infrastructure.
The York Haven Hydroelectric Project is a 19.6MW run-of-river facility that began commercial operation in 1901. A new 40-year FERC licence issued in 2015 required the construction of the fishway as part of continued operation of the project.
