Dorchester county officials question long-term Conowingo Dam plan

Dorchester County’s leadership met with the Maryland Department of the Environment in Cambridge, Maryland, to discuss a long-term plan for the Conowingo Dam. County officials said they are not aligned with current proposals due to potential impacts on Dorchester County and concerns about project priorities and duration. Council president Lenny Pfeffer stated, “While $341 million is a lot of money, we feel items such as dredging, which they’ve only allotted $18 million for dredging studies and no actual dredging. We think that dredging is very important for the project at the Conowingo Dam.”

Maryland Department of the Environment officials said the plan would proceed over decades and would affect Dorchester County. Deputy Secretary Adam Ortiz noted, “So, part of the agreement is to help make sure that migratory species can get back and forth. So they’ve committed, to spending millions on, upgrading those systems as well.”

Local officials also raised the duration of the agreement, describing it as a 50-year deal involving a dam that is already over 100 years old. Pfeffer added, “There’s nothing in this deal also that deals with the safety of the dam because there are some problems. There’s some leaks, some cracks, some other issues, and there’s nothing in the deal that would reopen this deal if new technology came about.”

The department said the project has been in development for over a decade and is expected to improve Chesapeake Bay conditions. Ortiz said, “It will have a big impact on improving water quality. As we know, the Bay has been, getting better, getting healthier. But it’s slower than a lot of us want. So this will be a big impact.” The overall cost of the Conowingo Dam project is expected to exceed $341 million.