The Maryland Board of Public Works has approved $25 million in funding for an interstate initiative to reduce nutrient pollution in water at the Conowingo Dam and to advance restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.
The board approved funding to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission for the multi-state Conowingo Watershed Implementation Plan, a key element in the broad regional effort to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay.
The commission serves as the fiscal agent for the initiative, which addresses the effects of upstream pollution and the Conowingo Dam’s lost capacity for trapping sediments on bay restoration.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has required that Maryland address 0.18 million pounds of nitrogen reduction within the Susquehanna River watershed. Reducing nitrogen using pay for success contracting will ensure that the Chesapeake Bay receives lower nutrient input from the Susquehanna River by addressing nutrient loads upstream in Cecil and Harford counties and in portions of the watershed in Pennsylvania.
“The Conowingo Watershed Implementation Plan is an important opportunity, with Maryland in the forefront, to advance Chesapeake Bay restoration through an unprecedented, multi-state initiative to specifically counter the longstanding problem of upstream discharges and the lost trapping capacity of the Conowingo Dam,” says Suzanne Dorsey, Deputy Secretary/Acting Secretary of the Environment. “This funding reduces risks for Maryland taxpayers through a pay-for-performance approach that spurs private investments as well as public funding for the benefit of the lower Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay.”
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan included this funding in his budget proposal in early 2022. The financing approach was highlighted in the Conservation Finance Act of 2022 and ensures cost-effective, verified, nutrient reductions while prioritizing Maryland’s portion of the watershed. Eligible pay-for-success contracts will receive final review and approval by the secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment.
