Pictured above, March 19th marked the anniversary of the 1936 flood when all 53 flood gates at
the Conowingo Dam were opened for the first time. The second time was not until Hurricane Agnes
in 1972. The remnants of Tropical Storm Lee in 2011 required the openning of 44 flood gates.
PHOTOGRAPH BY A. AUBREY BODINE © JENNIFER B. BODINE COURTESY OF WWW.AAUBREYBODINE.COM
omething else to remember: The Conowingo Dam is not the largest source of pollution to the
Chesapeake Bay. The Susquehanna River is. The best thing Conowingo Dam has done for the
The Susquehanna drains roughly half the area of Pennsylvania and contributes one-third of the sediment,
one-quarter of the phosphorus, and nearly one-half of the nirtogen pollution flowing into the Bay. With
Pennsylvania’s stop gap at near capacity and the dam due for relisencing, CBF is seeking a comprehensive
solution: reduce upstream pollution from all sources, especially agriculture, whose progress is lagging; and
a solution for improving fish passage.