The Lower Susquehanna River Watershed Assessment (LSRWA) Team

Final Report: Introduction

Since their construction, the reservoirs behind the three dams along the lower Susquehanna River (Holtwood, Safe Harbor, and Conowingo) have historically acted as effective traps for a portion of pollution from the Susquehanna River, and the nutrients that are often attached, thereby reducing the amount of sand, silt, nitrogen and phosphorus entering the Chesapeake Bay. A recent assessment indicates that the reservoirs are trapping smaller amounts of sediment and have essentially reached their limit to trap sediment in the long term.

The Lower Susquehanna River Watershed Assessment (LSRWA) team, formed in 2011, evaluated these sediment and nutrient issues. Its final report, released March 10, 2016, includes comprehensive evaluation of the issues, findings and recommendations for management actions in the future to address the flow of pollutants downstream.

A public meeting and webinar was held December 9th in Bel Air, MD (click for agenda) Expert panelists from the LSRWA team presented a review of the issues and report results in a powerpoint,  available here (3.5MB PDF). View the full meeting webinar here (88MB mp4 file) .

Summary of the LSRWA Report


The LSRWA Final Report (March 7, 2016)

Appendices


Links to Maryland Dept. of the Environment 
Links to Maryland DNR Home Page Links to the Nature Conservancy Links to MD Dept of the Environment Links to the U.S. Geological Survey Links to Susquehanna River Basin Commission Links to the US Army Coerps of Engineers Links to the Chesapeake Bay Program