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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

DNR: Conowingo Dam Sediment Hastens Bay Pollution

Sediments behind the Conowingo dam threatening bay restoration efforts must be dealt with sooner rather than later, and Exelon should be part of the solution as part of the relicensing of its hydro-electric power plant, a Maryland natural resources official said Tuesday.

Bruce Michael, director of the Resource Assessment Service at the Department of Natural Resources, made the comments as the Chesapeake Bay Program released a study using a new statistical method to gauge bay pollution levels that found sediment pollution from the dam has been increasing.

The dam across the Susquehanna River, the bay's major freshwater source, has kept sediments and other pollutants from reaching the bay for decades, but scientists warn it is reaching capacity. That means that storms more frequently are pushing muddy water over the dam, threatening ecologically important bay grasses, oysters and other species.

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gee, I thought it was all the lawless chicken farmers who were responsible for the pollution.

Anonymous said...

and don't forget our septic tanks...lolol

Anonymous said...

Upstream, I'm sure the biggest polluter is the WWTP's Get real. You can't fine the power plant for the water that flows through it! REALLY? Maybe I need to be in a different country or something...

lmclain said...

Hmmmm. I suppose that rivers just started flowing and sediments just started accumulating. Its not the natural way of ecosystems and geographical features and actions, but DAMS. Who are these people and how did they get their job (I mean OTHER than bribery, kickbacks, family connections and sexual favors)? Can you imagine what these bureaucrats would have done while the Grand Canyon was being formed? And whats their plan to stop the entirely natural erosion of the Niagra Falls cliffs?