Over a decade ago, Waterkeepers Chesapeake and Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association made a commitment to local communities and other stakeholders that a certification that meets enforceable water quality standards would be included in the 50-year federal license for the operation of Conowingo Dam. Today, we are happy to share that Governor Moore announced a historic agreement with the owner of the Conowingo Dam that includes commitments, valued at over $340 million, to cleaner water and continued progress in the restoration of the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay.
In the spring of 2024, Waterkeepers Chesapeake and Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper began participating in confidential mediation with the Maryland Department of the Environment and Constellation. After over 30 mediation sessions and several one-on-one meetings with MDE and Constellation, we reached a settlement and revised water quality certification.
Constellation agrees to fund and implement operational improvements and environmental projects to meet enforceable water quality standards by reducing and mitigating the impacts associated with the dam’s discharge and operation on the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The agreement – negotiated in partnership with Waterkeepers Chesapeake and Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association – clears the way for the re-licensing and continued operation of the dam.
Today’s agreement marks a new era for the dam and a new commitment for clean water. The funding for water quality projects, a pathway to dredging, and investments in living resources such as the freshwater mussel hatchery are significant steps forward. Our organizations’ successful appeal of the license and the 2019 Settlement brought the parties back together to renegotiate far better terms that will improve water quality and protect our aquatic species for the next 50 years. We now have a substantial step toward dredging behind the dam which represents Maryland’s first major allocation of dollars to advance dredging there.
Though more than a decade in the making, this agreement is not the end of our efforts, but rather the beginning of an important new chapter. Waterkeepers Chesapeake and Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper look forward to providing oversight and working in partnership with the state and Constellation on the implementation of this important agreement. Learn more
We want to give a big thank you to the tremendous efforts of our attorneys during the mediation process. Evan Isaacson of Chesapeake Legal Alliance and attorneys Sandra Franco and Jesse Dillon went above and beyond to bring the mediation to a successful conclusion. We also want to thank our attorneys from Earthjustice who provided counsel for over a decade. Among many other things, they led the successful legal action, drafted briefs for the reconsideration and assisted with mediation.
Visit MDE”s website for agreement documents: https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/water/wetlandsandwaterways/pages/exelonmd-conowingo-wqcapp.aspx
Learn more: https://waterkeeperschesapeake.org/conowingo-dam/
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