Licenses for the four Susquehanna River hydroelectric facilities came up for renewal in the early 1970s. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the federal agency that licenses hydroelectric plants throughout the country; PPRP is the lead agency for the State of Maryland with regard to FERC licensing of Maryland’s hydroelectric resources. For the Susquehanna River facilities, participants in the FERC license proceedings have included the utility applicants; PPRP, on behalf of the State of Maryland; the State of Pennsylvania; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); and several non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The ultimate goal of all parties is the restoration of anadromous fish populations to the entire Susquehanna River drainage system. Several measures are being taken to achieve this goal: installation of fish passage at the four dams, implementation of an active restoration program involving trapping and transport upstream of adult fish, and hatchery production of young fish for stocking.

Figure 1.  Shad collected at Conowingo, 1980 - 1998.

Construction of an experimental fish lift at Conowingo Dam in the early 1970s provided an opportunity to evaluate the potential effectiveness of lift facilities for restoring American shad and other species and for gathering extensive information on fish populations and passage behavior. Stock restoration activities began at about the same time. These activities included: 1) transporting adult fish from other East Coast rivers and releasing them into the Susquehanna River; 2) trapping adults at Conowingo, trucking, and releasing them upstream of the dams; and 3) using shad eggs from many different shad stocks to propagate larvae and juveniles, then releasing them into the Susquehanna and its tributaries. These different approaches were monitored for their effectiveness, and the findings from the monitoring were used to modify existing programs and develop new programs.

Perhaps the most significant development in the Susquehanna restoration was a 1988 settlement on fish passage at Conowingo reached by PECO Energy, which operates the hydroelectric plant at Conowingo, and the resource agencies. In accordance with this agreement, a permanent east side fish lift was completed in the spring of 1991, in time for the spring shad run. A further breakthrough in achieving the fish restoration goal was reached in October 1992, when the State of Maryland, the USFWS, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, NGOs, Safe Harbor Water Power Corporation, and Pennsylvania Power and Light (which owns Holtwood) agreed on construction and operation of fish passage facilities at Holtwood and Safe Harbor by 1997.

Growth of the Susquehanna River shad stock in response to the restoration efforts and fish passage construction to date has been dramatic, culminating in 1997 in the largest number of American shad to ever be passed over Conowingo Dam, 104,000 (see Figure 1). Numbers of shad passed at Holtwood and Safe Harbor in 1997, their first year of operation, were 28,000 and 21,000 respectively, representing the first shad to swim upstream to Pennsylvania’s portion of the Susquehanna River since before 1900.

Crews erect coffer dam cells as part of the fish passage facility at York Haven, Fall 1998.  The construction will be complete in time for the spring shod run in 2000.

The total number of fish passed in 1998 was somewhat smaller than in previous years, with about 46,000 American shad passing through the Conowingo lift, 8,000 through Holtwood, and 6,000 through Safe Harbor. This decrease is attributed to a compressed spawning season caused by higher than normal precipitation (and resultant river flows), coupled with unusually warm temperatures. These factors, rather than a decline in returning stock, resulted in a reduced ability to attract fish and operate lifts at Conowingo. As evidence of the compressed season, 92 percent of Conowingo’s total shad passage occurred on 20 days in May. In fact, the single-day record at Conowingo was set on 21 May, when 9,151 shad passed through the lifts.

GPU, which operates the York Haven Dam upstream of Safe Harbor, has agreed to construct a passage facility that will be operational by the year 2000. GPU is in the process of selling its non-nuclear generating assets, including the York Haven facility, to Sithe Energies as part of its overall strategy to respond to restructuring in the power industry. The completion and operation of the fish passage facility is a requirement of York Haven’s license from FERC, which remains binding on any new owner of the plant.

Construction of the fish passage facility on the east side of the river at York Haven is well underway (see photos with this article). Abnormally low flows in the summer and fall of 1998 have facilitated in-stream construction. Upon completion of the facility in Spring of 2000, the entire Susquehanna River will be open to migratory fish for the first time since the dams were constructed, creating the potential for shad and other species to move as far upstream as New York State. PPRP will continue to evaluate fish passage effectiveness at all four dams to ensure restoration goals are met.