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Conowingo Dam Not Major Threat to Bay Health, Study Says

exelconcorp.com

A new report says that the Conowingo Dam is not a major threat to the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

The $1.4 million multiagency study looked at the movement of sediment and materials such as phosphorus that damages the bay.

The agencies involved ranged from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Geological Survey to state agencies like the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Department of Natural Resources.

The full report is to be released later today.

The major finding concluded that upstream sources of pollution were responsible for 87 percent of sediment and nutrient pollution in the Susquehanna watershed between 2008 and 2011.

It found that the Conowingo dam only accounted for 13 percent.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.