Some of the best bigwater wave surfing in the eastern U.S. can be found below Holtwood Dam on Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River. When water spills over the dam each spring, roughly a dozen different waves are formed in this huge channel, attracting paddlers from across the region. The rapids at Holtwood are all that is left of what was likely many miles of rapids now buried below reservoirs created by Conowingo and Holtwood dams.

The operator of Holtwood Dam on the Susquehanna River (PA) is proposing to significantly change the operations on the dam and the shape of the river channel downstream of the dam. As originally planned, this project would destroy a valuable whitewater recreational resource. A group of paddlers has formed to work with the dam operator on a revised plan. A settlement is expected in the fall of 2006 that will lead to an amended FERC license that will hopefully protect Holtwood's great whitewater features or mitigate their loss with new features.