Dam

In his recent column ("'Occupy movement got America wrong," Sept. 23), Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. illustrates the denial of economic reality in America that is continually propagated by the 1 percent. At the heart of his argument is the idea that the American Dream is alive and well, the happy meritocracy is humming along nicely, and that Occupy Wall Street is a group of slackers who devote their energies to trying to derail this bedrock concept upon which he and the 1 percent perch. Either he wasn't paying attention and completely missed what Occupy is about, or simply will not admit that he does know.

Now it's official: A report released today (8/30) finds the Conowingo Dam is losing its ability to prevent pollution from reaching the Chesapeake Bay. The U.S. Geological Survey reports that the reservoirs behind Conowingo and other dams on the lower Susquehanna River are nearly full of sediment and are increasingly failing to trap it as it washes down river.  The 94-foot-high hydroelectric structure at Conowingo is just the last and largest of...

On a hot summer day, it's hard to see how the Conowingo Dam could hurt the Chesapeake Bay. Anglers line the shore below the 94-foot high impoundment, casting out into the gently roiling Susquehanna River for rockfish breaking the water. Yet unseen, on the other side of the dam, millions upon millions of tons of sediment and nutrient pollution are slowly building up that could wreak havoc on the bay if they get through. "It's an invisible problem," said Michael Helfrich, the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper, as he watches the fishermen.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is considering tearing down the Bloede Dam, a 230-foot-long, 30-foot-tall bridge across the Patapsco River. Good for them. The sooner they do it, the better. The Bloede Dam is the largest of four dams built in the Patapsco decades ago as power sources, all of which have outlived their usefulness. The state already has removed two of the dams upriver from Bloede, the Union and Simkins. Now, a preliminary report is recommending removing the Bloede, at a cost of $1.1 million.

Fish making the spring spawning run from the Chesapeake Bay upstream into the Patapsco River swim about 11 miles of cool, shallow, flowing water before hitting a concrete wall nearly three stories high: the Bloede Dam. The wildlife obstacle and human safety hazard has stood for more than a century in Patapsco Valley State Park, but its days could be numbered. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is continuing a years-long effort to clear the Patapsco of dams that have outlived their original industrial uses and now turns its attention to Bloede.

Many folks may be traveling on this long Memorial Day holiday weekend, but if you're going to be around, here are two activities not to miss on Saturday. The first one's a snap - you don't even have to leave the house, or get out of your PJs. At 9 a.m Saturday (May 26), local cable, broadcast and satellite TV stations will feature a half-hour documentary about the Healthy Harbor campaign to make Baltimore's harbor swimmable and fishable by the end of the decade.  The algae bloom and fish kills this week are furnishing a pungent reminder of why this campaign was launched.

The southbound lane of Route 1 across Conowingo Dam in Harford and Cecil counties will be closed again this weekend for repaving, according to the Maryland State Highway Administration, which advises motorists to expect some delays. Last Friday, SHA began conducting full weekend 24-hour single-lane closures on southbound Route 1 (Conowingo Road) over the Conowingo Dam Bridge. The second closure will occur between Friday at 6 p.m. through Monday at 6 a.m. The single-lane closures are necessary to allow crews to resurface the highway lanes on the bridge deck over the Susquehanna River.

A Baltimore man remained in critical condition at Christiana Hospital in Delaware Tuesday morning after he was injured in a motorcycle accident Sunday afternoon at the Conowingo Dam. Maryland State Police have identified the injured motorcyclist as Franklin Melbourne Thomas, 45, of Baltimore, Lt. Charles Moore, commander of the Bel Air Barrack, said Tuesday. State police said Thomas was driving a 2006 Harley Davidson motorcycle south on Route 1 around 4 p.m. As he was getting off the dam and coming around the corner up the hill on the Harford County side, he went out of his lane, TFC Richard Decker, the investigating officer for Maryland State Police, said Sunday evening.

Motorists who travel on the Route 1 bridge across the Susquehanna River in northern Harford County can expect temporary delays Tuesday and Wednesday. Crews from the Conowingo Hydroelectric Generating Station will move crest gates from the dam to the upper parking lot at the Conowingo Visitor Center for regular maintenance and repairs. Moving the large gates will temporarily delay traffic in both directions on Route 1 from Route 222 to Shures Landing Road, just south of Conowingo Dam on the Harford County side.

Traffic on U.S. 1 will be stopped for up to 45 minutes on Tuesday and Wednesday to allow workers at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Generating Station to remove dam gates for maintenance. The highway will be closed in both directions between Maryland Route 222 and Shures Landing Road at some point between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to Exelon Generation, which operates the dam. Crews will remove and haul two crest gates from the dam to the upper parking lot at the Conowingo Visitor Center.