It seems Tropical Storm Lee has caused greater damage to the Chesapeake Bay than originally suspected. The Conowingo Dam, near Darlington, Md., and on the Susquehanna River allowed 4 million tons of sediment to get through the gates, bringing four times the amount normally spilled into the Bay in only four days.
Satellite pictures show a Bay that should normally be blue-green and is now brownish through most of surface from sediment.
Here are some of the facts about the dam and its environs.
3: Ranking of measured rain on Chesapeake Bay on Sept. 9 as caused by Tropical Storm Lee.
160 million: Tons of sand, clay and mud built up behind the dam.
3 million: Tons of the runoff could wind up in the Bay annually.
1.4 million: Dollars for a study called the "Lower Susquehanna River Watershed Assessment - Phase I," that has the intent of devising a solution to the growing sediment problem. The study will also look into sediment at three hydroelectric dams upstream of Conowingo.
572: Megawatts of electricity the Conowingo Hydroelectric Generation station can generate. The station has 11 units and has provided electricity to the area since 1928, according to Exelen Hydro.
30 to 40: Percent of oxygen levels the Maryland Department of Natural Resources found in the Maryland portion of the Bay.
60: Percent of the Bay's freshwater provided by the Susquehanna.
Shawn Humphrey is a former contributor to The Flint Journal and lives near Washington in Gaithersburg, Md.
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