Conowingo Dam Steering Committee Releases Update On Conowingo Reservoir Nutrient Reduction Efforts

The Conowingo Watershed Implementation Plan Steering Committee released an update on efforts to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution related to the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River just below the Pennsylvania-Maryland border.

In 2018, a partnership between the Federal/State Chesapeake Bay Program and a steering committee with members from each of the six Chesapeake Bay watershed states and the District of Columbia developed a Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) for the Conowingo Dam.

The partnership divided the responsibility for accounting for additional pollution loads entering the Chesapeake Bay from the Susquehanna River Watershed. 

The CWIP’s goal is to reduce 6 million pounds of total nitrogen across the three states within the Susquehanna River Watershed: New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. 

Each jurisdiction arranges their own nitrogen reduction targets, solicits for projects, and awards funding based on set criteria. 

To date, a total of $36 million has been invested across jurisdictions to implement projects totaling 238,710 pounds of total nitrogen reduction. 

Click Here for a copy of the update.

Visit the Conowingo WIP Steering Committee webpage for more information.

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[Posted: April 9, 2025]  PA Environment Digest