Over the years, the Conowingo Dam has played an important role in protecting the Chesapeake Bay, supporting local and state economies, and providing recreational opportunities for thousands of local residents and tourists. Owned and operated by Constellation, the Conowingo Dam currently has 11 turbines, which can produce up to 572 megawatts (MW) of electricity. Located on the lower Susquehanna River in northern Maryland, Conowingo has served as Maryland’s largest source of clean energy since it began operation in 1928. The Conowingo Dam was an engineering marvel when constructed nearly a century ago, and it continues to operate safely and reliably today. Environmental, Social & Governance ResourcesĪn Engineering Feat of Hydroelectric Power.“Any time it rains and we have those gates open, the Coast Guard is on the marine radio every couple minutes warning about what’s floating down in the rivers,” said Zack Kelleher, the riverkeeper for the Sassafras, another bay tributary south of the Susquehanna. So-called “scour events,” which churn up pollutants from Pennsylvania and New York trapped behind the dam and send them down the river. “If Maryland’s certification was upheld as valid - as it is - the funds outlined as necessary to make those vital reductions would be there, rather than passed off to folks in Baltimore and the farmers on the Shore,” Johnson said.Įven now, storms are causing significant problems for the bay, some of which, the environmentalists say, can be traced back to the dam on the Susquehanna, among the Chesapeake’s largest tributaries. Instead, cleanup costs associated with the pollution could fall to taxpayers, she said, all while Exelon profits from the waterway. When contacted by environmental groups, one company offered to dredge the dam hydraulically for $41 million a year, Evgeniadis said.īut without the requirements from Maryland’s water quality certification from 2018, that kind of investment from Exelon seems unlikely to occur, said Morgan Johnson, a staff attorney with Waterkeepers Chesapeake.
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