Did You Know...

. . . that the dams on the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania have been instrumental in preventing large-scale pollution of the Chesapeake Bay from sediment? The Susquehanna River Basin encompasses about 64,000 square miles and the River contributes about 50 percent of the fresh water supply to the Bay. The River also carries 3.1 million tons of sediment each year. Since 1928, more than 70 percent of those sediments have been retained by the Holtwood, Safe Harbor and Conowingo Dams.

However, the capacity of the Holtwood and Safe Harbor dams to trap sediments has been fully utilized; the last line of defense from the sediments is the available capacity remaining in the Conowingo Dam, which is estimated to last for about 20 years. Thus, the States bordering the Bay have time to develop better sediment controls to protect the valuable resources of the Bay.

In the meantime, the three dams will continue to provide more than one million kW of conventional and renewable hydro capacity. In addition, Conowingo Reservoir provides the lower pool for the 800 MW Muddy Run Pumped-Storage project, a major cooling water source for the 2,000 MW Peach Bottom nuclear power plant, and the emergency water supply for the City of Baltimore. The three project reservoirs also provide major recreation benefits to the region and its economy.

Thanks to the USSD Committee on Public Awareness for contributing this Benefits of Dams.

(reprinted from the USSD Newsletter, March 2001, page 3)