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1993 freshet failed to budge sediment behind

Conowingo Dam
By Karl Blankenship

The large 1993 freshet that sent the largest amount of fresh water down the
Susquehanna since Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972 failed to "scour" the huge amount
of sediments behind the Conowingo Dam.

In fact, figures from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Susquehanna River Basin
Commission indicate that - despite the large flows - slightly more material was
accumulated in the reservoir behind the dam than was washed out during 1993.

"All the material that was there is still there, and probably a little bit more," said
Lloyd Reed, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

After reviewing surveys of bottom sediments, Reed concluded that while sediments
at the bottom of the reservoir shifted around "like drifting snow" during the heavy
flows, no significant amount was washed out.

The observation is backed by efforts to estimate sediment movement above and

below the dam. The Susquehanna River Basin Commission, which monitors water at
Marietta, Pa., north of Conowingo, estimated that about 5 million tons of sediment
washed down the river in the 1993 "water year" which ran from Oct. 1, 1992
through Sept. 30, 1993.

Estimates taken by USGS at the Conowingo dam indicate that about 3 million tons
of sediment passed through the dam. That means about 2 million tons were
trapped.

The finding indicates that higher flows than previously thought may be required to
scour sediments which have been accumulating for decades behind the large dam.

Before, it was thought that river flows of about 400,000 cubic feet per second was
enough to begin eroding the accumulated sediments. But flows during last year's
freshet peaked at 500,000 cfs, and surveys of bottom sediments indicate little
change from before and after the freshet, Reed said.

"They didn't hit the level they needed for a significant scour," he said. "Apparently
it's going to take a little bit more flow than that to get it to scour."

The issue is significant because the reservoir behind the 100-foot-high dam is
thought to be nearing the point of "equilibrium" where as much sediment would be
washed out of the reservoir as flows into it. When that happens, large amounts of
nutrient and sediments washed down the river that are now trapped behind the dam
will begin flowing straight to the Bay, adversely impacting water quality.
In an average year, about 9.1 million pounds of phosphorus wash down the
Susquehanna, but 4 million pounds are trapped in the Conowingo reservoir. The
dam also traps most of the 3.7 million tons of sediment that wash down the river,
allowing an average of only 890,000 tons to reach the Bay. Only a small amount of
nitrogen is trapped because, unlike phosphorus which tends to bind with sediment
and become trapped, nitrogen is more water soluble.

The implication is that the actual amount of phosphorus reaching the Bay could
eventually increase despite Pennsylvania's nutrient reduction effort. To meet the Bay
Program goal of reducing nutrients that reach the Bay by 40 percent by the year
2000, Pennsylvania is trying to reduce the amount of phosphorus flowing down the
river by 2.2 million pounds a year. That fi gure, though, is less than what is now
being trapped by the dam.

Pennsylvania's draft nutrient reduction strategy for the Susquehanna suggests that
options for managing sediments trapped behind the dams be explored, but warned
that any action would be complex and expensive.

Phosphorus spurs the growth of algae in areas of the Bay with fresh or low-salinity
water. That algae blocks sunlight to important Bay grasses and can reduce the
amount of oxygen in the water.

Sediment has already reached equilibrium in the reservoirs behind two upstream
dams, Holtwood and Safe Harbor. The Conowingo reservoir has a sediment capacity
of about 200 million tons and is about three-quarters full, according to USGS
estimates Reed said it was difficult to say when the Conowingo reservoir would
reach equilibrium, but that it would likely be in the next two decades, barring any
Agnes-like storms. "It's obviously still trapping sediment," he said.

Flows during Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972 exceeded 1 million cfs, scouring about
22.6 million tons of sediment from behind the Conowingo Dam, Reed said. Scouring
of sediment from behind the dam likely begins with flows of 500,000 cfs, and
increases as the flows become greater, he said.

Last year's freshet sent 6.1 trillion gallons of water down the Bay - more than
during Agnes - but last year's high flows were spread over a 41-day period
compared to 16 days for Agnes, so peak flows were not as high as those in the 1972
storm.

Karl is the Editor of the Bay Journal.

The Bay Journal is published by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay for the Chesapeake Bay
Program.
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