The dam has a reservoir that is meant to catch sediment and nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, which wash down from New York and Pennsylvania and pollute the Bay. But a study by the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed Assessment shows that reservoir is essentially at capacity, and can no longer stop the pollution that is flowing right into the Susquehanna and the Bay.
The study also found that without addressing this problem, the states can't meet the Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay restoration goals required by 2025.
At the state's first-ever Conowingo Dam Summit in early July, Governor Hogan formed a work group to seek solutions. It includes members from the Maryland Departments of the Environment, Natural Resources, and Planning; the Port Authority; the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; the U.S. Geological Survey; the Army Corps of Engineers; the Susquehanna River Basin Commission; and Maryland Environmental Service.
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I love paying bay restoration fees for other states pollution. Go Maryland!!
ReplyDeleteWhat craptrap. The dam was NEVER designed or meant to trap sediment and/or nutrients. Its purpose was flood control and generation of electricity. Nobody cared about sediment and nutrients when it was built; that's just the politically correct thing to say lately.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we need to investigate where the source of the pollution is coming from and stop it there. They have know this for years and nothing has been done about this. The upper bay for the most part is a dead zone due to pollution.
ReplyDeleteBasically, no matter how much we in Maryland sacrifice in the attempt to keep our beloved bay clean, we can't overcome the states up north.
ReplyDeleteSuck it out and barge, or rail it, to a land site. It's a large project, but much less expensive than what it cost to build the dam.
ReplyDeleteSounds like pa and ny need to be paying the flush tax also!
ReplyDeleteCharge fees to Penn & NY. I am tired of paying for every body else's screw-ups.
ReplyDeleteIt will leach into the Chesapeake Bay and then we can blame the farmers and poultry companies for run-off....thanks for the pollution!
ReplyDeleteThere's even a greater hidden danger that no one's talking about. In that sediment and sludge are heavy metals. Primarily tin and lead. You just can't dig that stuff up. Ask the folks of Puget Sound what happened when they dredged it for shipping lanes. They dug up all the heavy metals in the bottom and whipped out a lot of the marine life. Even today a lot of the shellfish form Puget Sound isn't edible.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it's due to the Fracking being done
ReplyDeletein PA , NY ??
The sediment was created by the dam that is in Maryland. It's Maryland's problem.
ReplyDelete