It’s About Dam Time:
CONOWINGO CRISIS
Located on the Susquehanna River, the largest tributary to the Chesapeake Bay, the Dam was built in 1928 to supply hydroelectricity.
This hydroelectricity comes at a high environmental cost – the River is a public natural resource and Constellation, the private company operating the dam, should play a more significant role in cleaning up.
RIGHT NOW, we have an unprecedented opportunity to protect our investments in clean water for our communities and wildlife for the next 50 years. We cannot let this opportunity pass. Don’t let Constellation exploit a public resource without protecting the public’s interests!
Constellation must be held accountable for the risk they present to Bay health. The financial ask is small change to them — Constellation is one of the largest, wealthiest corporations in the United States and they value profits over your access to clean water!
Through a series of legal and procedural delay tactics, Constellation has repeatedly avoided taking action to reduce their impact on the Susquehannah and Chesapeake Bay.
It’s about dam time for that to change!
Bay Residents and Groups Call for Strong Water Quality Protections for Conowingo Dam
Over 800 people signed a petition to MDE expressing the urgency of having a water quality certification that requires Constellation to address the nutrient load attributed to the Dam’s operations, improve downstream flow, restore lost ecosystem services, improve upstream American eel and fish passage, strengthen the resiliency of the Susquehanna River to climate change, and manage trash and debris that accumulates behind the Dam. The petition highlights that Constellation, a $30 billion corporation, should be made to pay their fair share instead of continuing to use a public resource for private gain.
The Choose Clean Water Coalition (CCWC) and forty environmental groups submitted a letter to MDE calling on the agency to reject any request to weaken its prior decision upon reconsideration of certification.
In the letter they voice their concerns regarding the settlement between MDE and Constellation that waived the 2018 water quality certification, emphasizing that it represented bad public policy by shifting the burden of addressing the Dam’s impacts from Constellation to the state and local governments.
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A History of the Problem at Conowingo Dam
For almost 100 years the Conowingo Dam has spanned the Susquehanna River just ten miles from where it flows into Chesapeake Bay. It blocks access to hundreds of miles of the river and streams for migratory fish and is a major source of pollution to the Bay. It’s About Dam Time for Constellation to clean up their act and take action to protect the Chesapeake Bay and Susquehanna River – resources that belong to all of us!
This timeline shows how we got to this critical point in time.
P.O. Box 11075
Takoma Park, MD 20913-1075
(800) 995-6755
info@waterkeeperschesapeake.org
2098 Long Level Rd
Wrightsville, PA 17368
(717) 478-1780
info@lowsusriverkeeper.org
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