Rocky River Hydroelectric Development Of The Connecticut Light and Power Company

This paper describes the Rocky River hydroelectric development of the Connecticut Light and Power Company, near New Milford, Connecticut, which is a storage development for regulating the Housatonic River below New Milford. There are no sites on the main river suitable for a large storage reservoir. It was therefore necessary to select a site on a tributary, the Rocky River. The run-off from the natural drainage area of the reservoir basin furnishes only a part of the water required to fill the reservoir, making it necessary to pump the balance from the Housatonic River against a maximum head of 240 ft. This is the first large application of pumped storage in the United States which accounts for the general interest shown in the Rocky River development. The first part of the paper deals with the factors which have to be considered in determining the economic possibilities of such a development. The second part of the paper is a description of the main features of the development itself.