Our Chesapeake Bay is the largest, and one of the most productive estuaries in the United States.(1) For many Maryland state residents, like us, the Bay is an important part of their livelihoods, recreation, and very identity. Sadly, excess sediment and the nutrients (principally phosphorus and nitrogen) attached to it threaten our iconic Chesapeake.  This sediment pollution results in degraded water quality and loss of habitat for aquatic species, which, in turn, negatively impacts the local communities that rely on the Bay for their livelihoods and recreation.(2) 

The Conowingo Dam, located on the Susquehanna River (the largest tributary to the Bay - https://www.delmarvafisheries.com see movie at the bottom of the page) and owned and operated by Exelon Corp., used to trap much of this sediment.(3) However, the dam's capacity to prevent sediment from moving downstream to the Bay has greatly decreased over time.(4) Though the runoff contributing sediment to our waterways is not caused by the dam, the accumulation of this sediment is directly attributable to the dam, itself, because, as a barrier, it prevents the sediment from gradually travelling downstream in smaller concentrations that the Susquehanna and the Bay can manage. Since the dam is no longer capable of trapping sediment, as effectively as it once did, the sediment load is now rapidly released in large concentrations during intense precipitation events, and when the company decides to evacuate excess water.  These events overwhelm the filtration and dilution capacities of our waterways, and destroy the grass beds and kill many of the species on which commercial fisheries depend.(3) 

Exelon is due to renew its 50-year license on the Conowingo Dam. The proposed 50-year contract, as it currently stands, does not provide adequate funding in support of Maryland’s responsibility to refurbish the Chesapeake Bay, under the Chesapeake Bay Blueprint Plan (5), and does not outline clear pathways and mechanisms to prevent environmental harm to the lower Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay (5).

Therefore, we demand that our Maryland Legislators ensure that the new contract requires Exelon to be directly responsible for mitigating the negative impacts that the Conowingo Dam has on our local ecosystems and livelihoods by:

A) Bearing the cost of dredging behind the dam to prevent the sediment from overflowing during storms and to reduce the need for sluicing;
B) Paying the necessary annual sum to meet the Maryland Water Quality Standards;
C) Contributing, substantially, toward rebuilding the environment and economies of the River and the Bay that are actively harmed by the dam's operation;
D) Making payments related to the rebuilding of the River and the Bay from their own pockets without passing the cost on to Marylanders in the form of energy rate increases;
E) Offering those communities impacted by the dam's operations the opportunity to weigh in on any future decisions regarding the dam's operations, that could have further effects on the environment and the economies of the River and the Bay.

While we acknowledge and appreciate that the Conowingo Dam has had the very positive impact of allowing Maryland to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, that certainly does not mean we can let an abundantly lucrative company, like Exelon, evade accountability for the dam's detrimental effects on our ecosystems and local communities. Please, make sure Exelon does its fair share to protect the Susquehanna River, the Chesapeake Bay, and our communities that rely on these invaluable aquatic ecosystems.

If you would like to contact your local government representative, please click this link: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/members/district

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References

1) Chesapeake Bay Foundation. "Geography and Facts". 
Gellis, A.C. & Brakebill, J.W. (2013).  Sediment Sources and Transport in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. U.S. Geological Survey. 
2) Chesapeake Bay Program. "Conowingo Dam" 
3) Langland, M.J. (2015). Sediment transport and capacity change in three reservoirs, Lower Susquehanna River Basin, Pennsylvania and Maryland, 1900–2012: 4) U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2014–1235, 18. http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20141235 
5) Wheeler, T. 2020, Feb 12th. "Environmentalists, Shore Officials oppose Conowingo settlement" Bay Journal.