Conowingo Dam Fact Sheet
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Conowingo Dam is one of three dams on the lower Susquehanna River. For 90 years, the deep, still water of the Conowingo Reservoir behind the dam has captured sediment and nutrient pollution carried downstream by the river. Recent studies, however, indicate that the reservoir is becoming less effective as a “pollution gate” because the reservoir has filled with sediment and is reaching capacity. During large storms and severe floods, the Susquehanna River’s fast-moving flow scoops up some of the sediment (and attached nutrients) stored within the reservoir and carries it over the dam and into the Chesapeake Bay.