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Tag Archives: Conowingo

Oxford Pa. and Stafford Md.

28 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Hiking, Photography

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

books, bridges, Conowingo, engineering, HISTORY, nature, photography, trains, Travel

The other day Kathy, Molly and I decided to take a ride to Oxford, to an old used bookstore just south of town. It has been a couple years since I was there. I met the author, Mark Bowden (Black Hawk Down) the last time I visited. The place has changed since then, but still nice. (Anywhere that sells old books is nice!) We left there and roamed around town some. Being a Sunday, most shops were closed.

The old train station now converted into Borough Hall?

Molly smells food and is wondering where the gravy train is (Sorry Molly, Purina does not make Gravy Train!)

Historic Marker

Niblock Alley train over-pass.

We left Oxford and decided to head to Stafford on the Susquehanna Trail. This was a nice 4-1/2 mile hike. Unfortunately – no Fall Foliage.

Uncertain of which way to go…back into the woods then.

Not sure the purpose of this fence, but I like it.

The path is over old train tracks. These tracks were put here when the Conowingo Dam was built. Carried supplies and men to and from town.

The Stafford Flint Furnace. This structure is a couple hundred years old. It took a beating during the great quake of 2011.

As can be seen in this photo. They put seismic measuring devices on it. That won’t save it.

Triple headed shrooms and our hike is done! Nice day!

Conowingo During Agnes 1972

21 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in 1972, Dams, engineering, Floods

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Baltimore, bridges, Conowingo, Dams, engineering, HISTORY

Came across this Sun Paper photograph showing, what it says on the back, that all 53 gates of the dam were opened during the storm. It doesn’t look like all 53 are opened. In a 2008 interview, a former Conowingo Employee, Elder Silvercloud tells us that many of the flood gates wouldn’t open. They were stuck. Another article I read said they were going to dynamite a portion of the dam to relieve pressure? In 2011 another storm caused them to open 43 gates. For more info, Google Search Conowingo Dam Agnes.

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Notice there are no watermarks saying ebay or sun paper – that is because I do not steal these photos off the internet. They are in my personal collection.

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Conowingo Dam

04 Tuesday Oct 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, Dams, engineering, Photography

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Tags

Baltimore, bridges, Conowingo, Dams, engineering, fishing, photography, Public Works, water history

My visit into the Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant. Built in about two years time with close to 4,500 men. 1926-1928. Built by the Arundel Corporation. It generates over 13, 000 volts and then steps it up to 220,000. We were not allowed to take photos in the control room but one thing interesting about that was a board that gives real time prices for electricity. The other thing in the control room was – I was asked, very sternly, Do Not Go Back There Or Touch Anything!! Sheesh!

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Got there early and looked around. Carved eagle in front. They have a photo contest every year for eagle photos. I didn’t bring a telephoto lens.

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Fishermen. How the heck do they not get their lines tangled?? Three turbines on. Roughest water up to the right was a large unit. Two smaller units are on, to the left of guys fishing.

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Time to go in and start the tour. Our tour guide is wearing the black hat. A continuous run movie on the building of the dam is playing. There is a nice one on Youtube called Conowingo: Then and Now.

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The real tour guide. The photos on the wall are all winners and submissions for the eagle photo contest last year.

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One of two fish lifts. This one was used to collect fish and then transport them by truck to hatcheries and fish farms to be released above all the dams (There are a few and about five years ago they all installed real fish lifts so the shad can just go up river to where they are supposed to)

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I believe our tour guide said these two generated power to run the plant. It was loud in there.

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Where they make electricity. Yellow light on the right wall means – put in your earplugs.

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Aerator. It sucks air into the water. The dissolved oxygen drops about 60% from the dam pool to the discharge side, so they add some air to the water.

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This little probe, just barely touching the turbine shaft measures for any distortion in the shaft. If it senses some, it will shut down the unit.

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Some old gauges.

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Spiders! They just cleaned these windows a couple months ago.

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Next level above the turbines – generators.

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Outside above the catwalk. Years ago, pre 9/11 you were allowed to fish off the catwalk. This is looking down towards Port Deposit.

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The tour group. I didn’t know a single one of these people.

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Need some lights changed on this sign.

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Lonely lamp right before the second fish lift. Do fish need to see to be lifted?

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In the very early 1960s I use to fish on that little rise at the bottom of the dam.

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Second fish lift. They swim into that lift and are free to swim out at the top. Supposedly there is someone who looks thru a plexiglass window and counts them? Since the other dams have installed lifts, no reason to truck them anywhere.

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Starting to get dark out.

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Back inside, on the way to the control room. Pit.

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Dark outside now, after control room. Guys are still fishing!

Dams

02 Sunday Oct 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, Photography, Reservoir

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Tags

Baltimore, bridges, Conowingo, engineering, fishing, Gunpowder Falls, Hiking, HISTORY, photography, Reservoir, Star Wars

Back in the beginning of September, I posted some photographs of my visit into Liberty Dam. The watershed manager, Clark, took me down to the bottom. It was quite an experience for me. Before leaving I made the comment that the Conowingo Dam will be my next adventure, to go inside. A couple weeks later, Clark sends me an email telling me that a group he belongs to, the Upper Western Shore Tributary Team, are going into Conowingo. That I should contact them and ask if I can go. A couple days later they sent me a yes answer. Very nice. So, here are some of the dams I’ve gone into. Not listed yet is Loch Raven. Not much to go into there but Clark said when they do the next inspection, I can go.

My first interior dam I visited was Hoover Dam in 2005. It was nice but a disappointment in that 3-1/2 years after 9/11, the lower portion was closed off. I only got to see the turbines from an observation deck.

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This was a quick looksy – “Alright people, back on the elevators.”

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Up on top.

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One side of the dam…

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to the other.

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Intake structures – actually more impressive than the one at Liberty!

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Reservoir getting low…and yet they are still building new homes in the area.

In 2013 I was able to go into Prettyboy Dam.

Looking down from the top.

What I like about this view are the memories of my father taking me down to the bottom – concrete slab – to go fishing.

We had to go down the steps, then climb over a fence and trek down the hillside to get to the fishing spot.

Time to head to the bottom of the dam. More steps.

I was able to go out onto the deck, where the valve was spewing forth water to my right. This is one of two fountains that don’t work. Contractor said it would cost over $100k to fix. Director says no.

The 45 degree pipe is what feeds the fountains. It goes under this floor into a chamber and then into more concrete. It is collapsed there and this is why it would cost so much to fix.

Tomorrow, if the dam Gods permit, I will be going into this dam – Conowingo! This is from 2011 when most of the flood gates were opened. I just bought a new telephoto lense for my camera and wanted to see how it works…

A little too well. I hope this guy shows up again for the tour!

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