PRINTER'S NO. 1932
No. 142 Session of 1991
INTRODUCED BY COY, COLE AND WAMBACH, JUNE 11, 1991
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, JUNE 11, 1991
A RESOLUTION 1 Commending Philadelphia Electric Company for its environmental 2 conservation efforts relating to reintroducing shad to the 3 Susquehanna River by constructing a fish lift at the 4 Conowingo Dam and by improving water quality in the river and 5 Chesapeake Bay. 6 WHEREAS, The American shad population in the lower 7 Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay had declined substantially 8 in recent decades due to overfishing, water pollution and river 9 dams; and 10 WHEREAS, The completion of a $12 million fish lift, known as 11 the Conowingo East Fish Lift, at the 63-year-old Conowingo Dam 12 is Philadelphia Electric Company's signature project towards 13 environmental protection in the Susquehanna Valley and marks a 14 substantial investment in the cooperative effort to repopulate 15 the river with American shad, once a prime recreational and 16 commercial species on the East Coast; and 17 WHEREAS, The Conowingo East Fish Lift compliments an existing 18 smaller lift on the west side of the dam which has operated 19 since 1972; and
1 WHEREAS, The fish passageway constructed by Philadelphia 2 Electric Company is the largest in the United States, utilizes 3 the best technology currently available to attract and collect 4 fish, and is designed to pass up to 750,000 American shad and 5 5 million river herring each season; and 6 WHEREAS, In addition to the fish lift, Philadelphia Electric 7 Company will maintain minimal water flows and aerate river water 8 to further improve water quality and fish habitation in the 9 river and bay; and 10 WHEREAS, Statistics gathered indicate that the American shad 11 population passing through the fish passageway is twice the 12 number in 1991 that it was in 1990; therefore be it 13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commend 14 Philadelphia Electric Company for its environmental conservation 15 efforts relating to reintroducing shad to the Susquehanna River 16 by constructing a fish lift at the Conowingo Dam and by 17 improving water quality in the river and Chesapeake Bay. F6L82JAM/19910H0142R1932 - 2 -