Monday, September 22, 2025

1928 572mw Conowingo Hydro Plant on Susquehanna River near Havre de Grace, MD

(Satellite)

Judging from the Google search results, there are a lot of eagles in this area. 

UnchartedLancaster
230mw
"The second is the Conowingo Dam, near Conowingo, Maryland, built between 1926 and 1928. It is one of the largest non-federal hydroelectric dams in the U.S."

Support Conowingo Dam posted
Take a step back through history to when the Conowingo Dam was constructed in 1928...
Jan F. Nethen: Doesn't look any different today.
Dave Mercer: Seems like they only run the 3 generators outside.
Brett Wanamaker shared

ConstellationEnergy
"The Conowingo Dam currently has 11 turbines, which can produce up to 572 megawatts (MW) of electricity."
300 eagles gather by Thanksgiving.
 
Support Conowingo Dam posted
Did You Know: The Conowingo Dam generates as much electricity in 10 years from falling water as a coal plant generates from burning 7.5 million tons of coal.

AtlasObscura, AARONMHARRINGTON/CC BY-SA 2.0
The dam is 94' tall and 4,648' wide.
"Hailed as a stunning feat of engineering at the time of its construction, the Conowingo is now equally famous as a busy feeding ground for birds–especially American bald eagles. The dam creates unique feeding opportunities for bald eagles and other fishing birds. The turbines’ intake valves suck water and fish through the dam, often stunning or killing the fish and depositing them downstream for easy capture. Additionally, migrating fish attempting to travel upriver get stuck below the dam and gather in its tailrace. During the winter months, fish remain readily accessible to the birds because the water flowing through the dam does not freeze. The dam’s tailrace is a smorgasbord that attracts feeding birds from miles around. Over 200 species of birds have been observed and documented in the area. Herons, egrets, gulls, osprey, vultures, and waterfowls all gather at the Conowingo Dam to feast, but the bald eagles are the true stars of the show. They engage in aerial acrobatics as they dive to capture fish in their enormous yellow talons, with their wingtips and tail feathers brushing the water. Airborne battles ensue as other eagles try to steal a successful eagle’s catch. The flashing red lights and sirens indicating when the dam is about to release water often trigger a Pavlovian response in the birds. The eagles chirp and position themselves for a fresh deposit of fish."

Photo via WaterKeepersChesapeake
The debris caught behind the powerhouse illustrates that cleaning up debris is an issue.

1:48 video @ 0:24 via ExelonCorp
They do remove about 600 tons of debris each year.
 
1:48 video @ 1:07

1 of 143 photos in TripAdviser
Many of the photos are of eagles.

Sep 2018:
0:59 video @ 0:45

Wouldn't the sediment flow into the Chesapeake Bay be even worse if the river was free running? The problem is that, after 100 years of sediment settling behind the dam, the reservoir is now filled with sediment, which floods scour and wash downstream. [ChesapeakeBay]
July 2018:
1:40 video @ 0:17

56:50 PBS video


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