Jul 22, 2016

Motorists who travel along Route 1 between Harford and Cecil counties across the Susquehanna River over the mile-long Conowingo Dam might wonder what’s inside the large facility that’s owned and operated by Exelon Generation Corporation.

The Conowingo Hydroelectric Station, which includes the Conowingo Dam and Powerhouse, took two years to construct and started generating power in 1928. The dam is one of four hydroelectric dams along the Susquehanna. Its turbines produce 572 megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power 159,000 households.

Entering the plant is like stepping back in time into an oddly beautiful scene. The giant turbine hall contains over 3000 windows overlooking seven enormous turbines. Morning light floods the large open space, which faces the river.

Exelon general manager Archie Gleason states, “The Conowingo Dam is undoubtedly a special place that is reflected in its historic heritage. The fact that so much of the original structure, equipment and fixtures still exist in such pristine, working condition is a testament to the quality and care that was taken when the dam was built in the late 1920’s. There is so much rich history preserved here that makes the Conowingo Dam much more than the concrete, steel and glass you see – it is a reflection of the shared memories and goals of the generations who worked

: Jay Campbell, left, technical services manager, and Archie Gleason, right, general manager, walk between turbines in the turbine hall at Exelon’s Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: This is a valve that operates via linkage to open and close sections of the turbine hall windows. It is an original feature at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna river since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: A worker cleans one of over 3000 windows on the tailrace side of turbine hall at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Shawn Byrne, 21 of Joppatowne, works for Nooter Construction Company. He is part of a crew cleaning over 3000 windows on the tailrace side of turbine hall at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. The windows are cleaned twice a year. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Workers clean over 3000 windows on the tailrace side of turbine hall at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Some of the 3000 windows on the tailrace side of turbine hall cast shadows on the floor at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Mayflies and other insects coat some of the 3000 windows on the tailrace side of turbine hall at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: This is a view of turbine hall at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Workers prepare to move the lid on one of the turbines, which needs to be inspected, at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Charles Brooks, a millwright with Voith Hydro, is part of a team of workers who are doing an inspection on one of the turbines at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Workers inspect one of the turbines at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: This is a view of the Exelon Conowingo dam and Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Mayflies are trapped in a spider web in the opening of one of the turbines at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: There are over 300 windows on the tailrace side of turbine hall at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been generating electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. Windows are frequently broken by fishermen on the river casting their lines. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: This still-operational actuator controls the hydraulic butterfly valve of turbine number 5 at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: These 1920s gauges are no longer operational, but Exelon has saved them because of their interesting historical and aesthetic value. They are in the turbine hall at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: When it is lit, the neon sign at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant is powered by electricity generated at the plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: A pair of blue herons stand on a ledge near the dam at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Crest gates, viewed through a stairway on the roof substation, allow 16,500 cubic feet of water per second over the dam at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: A brass plate is attached to a turbine at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Archie Gleason, left, general manager, and Jay Campbell, right, technical services manager, walk on the roof substation at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Letters are viewed from the back on the roof substation at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Jay Campbell, technical services manager, stands on the roof substation at the Execlon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: On the roof substation at the Exelon Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna River since 1928, an original lamp post is lit, powered by electricity produced at the plant. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Glass block windows are just inches away from roaring traffic outside crossing the mile-long bridge over Route 1 that spans the Exelon Conowingo Dam and Hydroelectric Plant, which has been producing electricity on the Susquehanna river since 1928. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

Conowingo Dam: Keeping the lights on for a generation

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