More than 11,500 residents in the Chesapeake Bay region – myself included – believe that science must lead the way on finding a regional solution to the Bay’s cleanup. And together, we have signed a petition calling for the continued operation of the Conowingo Dam. Why?
Because the dam has actually protected the Chesapeake Bay by trapping 2 million tons of sediment every year, and it should be relicensed to preserve the many benefits it provides the State of Maryland.
My family has had a cabin on the Conowingo pond since 1961 and I’ve been spending my summers at the dam since childhood, fishing and hiking. No wonder thousands of visitors come to the dam every year to see the bald eagles and experience nature at its finest. The dam is also a vital source of clean, renewable energy in the region and contributes to the local economy.
That’s why I volunteered to personally hand-deliver over 11,500 signatures to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to show the immense, collective support for the Conowingo Dam and its continued operation.
We have a study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to shed some scientific light on sediment in the Susquehanna River and its impact on the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Pollution from the Susquehanna River is responsible for only a fraction of the sediment – a mere 20 percent – that reaches the Bay’s waters. The remaining, vast majority of pollution entering the bay actually comes from other tributaries below the Conowingo Dam. The study also concludes that dredging behind the dam would be the most expensive way to address pollution with some of the smallest payoffs.
Now that the science has spoken, let’s use it to formulate a regional solution to clean-up the Chesapeake Bay. What we need is data and expert advice, not politics and misinformation, to move the discussion forward.
Jan Nethen
Volunteer
Support Conowingo Dam
Pete Buxtun says
Well said sir! I for one, am tired of the old “I’m not a scientist but…” trope. A society that doesn’t listen to or trust its experts and instead only hears what it wants to hear will inevitably make some bad choices (some could cost a county up to, let’s say, 25,000 in taxpayer cash!)
Pete Buxtun says
That said, I think a healthy discussion about the responsibility of Exelon to mitigate any environmental issues associated with the dam is important.
Gren Whitman says
Common sense demands that the source of 20 percent of the Bay’s pollution cannot be ignored.
That said, the other 80 percent can’t be ignored, either.
Maryland cannot weaken its agricultural runoff regulations an iota, including strict limits on using chicken manure on fields, a principal source of phosphorous.
Conowingo Dam’s pool needs to be be dredged to minimize smothering damage to the upper Bay from heavy rain events.