Conowingo Dam | |
---|---|
Official name | Conowingo Hydroelectric Station |
Country | United States |
Location | Cecil and Harford counties, Maryland |
Coordinates | 39°39′36″N 76°10′26″W / 39.66000°N 76.17389°W |
Status | Operational |
Construction began | 1926 (completed in 1928) |
Opening date | 1928 |
Owner(s) | Susquehanna Electric Company |
Dam and spillways | |
Type of dam | Gravity dam |
Impounds | Susquehanna River |
Height | 94 ft (29 m) |
Length | 4,648 ft (1,417 m) |
Reservoir | |
Creates | Conowingo Reservoir |
Total capacity | 310,000 acre⋅ft (0.38 km3) |
Active capacity | 71,000 acre⋅ft (0.088 km3) |
Surface area | 9,000 acres (3,600 ha) |
Maximum length | 14 mi (23 km) |
Maximum water depth | 105 ft (32 m) |
Normal elevation | 109.2 ft (33.3 m) |
Power Station | |
Operator(s) | Constellation Energy |
Commission date | 1928 |
Type | Run-of-the-river |
Turbines | 7 x 36 MWe, 4 x 65 MWe |
Installed capacity | 548 MWe |
Website Conowingo Hydroelectric Generating Station |
The Conowingo Dam (also Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, Conowingo Hydroelectric Station) is a large hydroelectric dam in the lower Susquehanna River near the town of Conowingo, Maryland. The medium-height, masonry gravity dam is one of the largest non-federal hydroelectric dams in the U.S., and the largest dam in the state of Maryland.
The dam sits about 9.9 miles (16 km) from the river mouth at the Chesapeake Bay, 5 miles (8 km) south of the Pennsylvania border and 45 miles (72 km) northeast of Baltimore, on the border between Cecil and Harford counties.
The dam supports a 9,000-acre reservoir, which today covers the original town of Conowingo. During dam construction, the town was moved to its present location about 1 mile (1.6 km) northeast of the dam's eastern end. The rising water also would have covered Conowingo Bridge, the original U.S. Route 1 crossing, so it was demolished in 1927. U.S. Route 1 now crosses over the top of the dam.
The Conowingo Reservoir, and the nearby Susquehanna State Park, provide many recreational opportunities.