DARLINGTON, Md. — A landmark for nearly a century on the Susquehanna River, the future of the Conowingo Dam and its potential impact on Maryland’s most precious natural resource has finally been decided in a 50-year agreement between the state and Constellation.
“Making sure that we can breathe air that is clean,” said Gov. Wes Moore, “Making sure that we can have water that is clean. Making sure that we can have energy that is abundant and reliable and where opportunities are growing.”
WATCH: Historic settlement on Conowingo Dam
The dam has been helping to power the region since it was built back in the 1920s, and it’s Maryland’s largest source of renewable energy.
At a time when the state can’t produce enough electricity, the dam’s hydro-electric plant, alone, provides enough to light up 160,000 homes.
“This resource was called on over 4,200 times this year alone to produce power to respond to peak demands here in Maryland,” said Constellation President & CEO Joe Dominguez, “and in all, but three occasions it responded and even in those three occasions, it was just moments later, turning a switch and we brought the power on.”
But concerns about the potential impacts of the dam on the Chesapeake Bay have put environmentalists and the electric company at odds for nearly a decade.
Through the agreement, Constellation has agreed to do more to protect species like fish and eel, while helping to combat snakeheads and blue catfish, in addition to taking on the hundreds of millions of tons of sediment, which have reached their capacity behind the dam putting the future health of the bay in jeopardy.
“Baby steps right now, but we’re looking towards an eventual time,” said Ted Evgeniadis, the executive director of the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, “We’re going to have dredging here behind this dam and we’re going to be removing sediments, pollutants that have been devastating the Chesapeake Bay.”
It’s a $341 million commitment by Constellation to help protect and preserve a priceless resource.
“The bay holds the key to the future of our culture,” said Moore, “It fills our tables. It sustains our wildlife. It powers our homes. The bay has been good to us. We’ve got to be good to the bay.”
