Conowingo Dam Dredging Project on the Table

Governor Larry Hogan yesterday held a second Conowingo Dam Summit in Darlington, Maryland, to discuss solutions to the growing threat posed to the Chesapeake Bay by sediment flowing through the dam.

Earlier in the morning, the governor addressed a seminar sponsored by the National Governors Association’s Water Policy Learning Network, which he co-chairs along with California Governor Jerry Brown.

“To expand on the great progress we have made when it comes to the Bay, it is absolutely vital that we find real solutions for the problem of sediment and nutrient pollution,” said Governor Hogan.

Governor Hogan went on to announce that the Maryland Environmental Service will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a demonstration project to determine the costs for dredging behind the dam, identify markets available for the dredged material, and identify companies have the capability to beneficially reuse the material.

The official RFP will be issued on August 31, with responses and a final award anticipated this fall.

In 2016, Governor Hogan held the first Conowingo Dam Summit and announced a Request for Information (RFI) to identify cost-effective dredging solutions.

The administration put together a multi-agency work group composed of representatives from the Maryland Departments of the Environment, Natural Resources, and Planning, the Maryland Port Administration, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, and the Maryland Environmental Service (MES). The work group reviewed the responses to the RFI and used the information to develop the RFP.

Since taking office, Governor Hogan has taken unprecedented actions to protect the Chesapeake Bay. The administration has invested more than $3 billion in state funds towards Bay restoration efforts, as well as nearly $145 million in the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, becoming the only governor in Maryland history to fully fund the Trust Fund.