Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. has implemented drought measures that provide replacement water to the Susquehanna River to make up for water used by two of the company's power plants.

On Monday (8/28), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began releasing water from the Cowanesque Reservoir in Tioga County to make up for water consumed at PP&L's Susquehanna nuclear power plant and Montour coal-fired power plant.

PP&L purchased water supply storage in the reservoir in 1978 to meet make-up water requirements of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission. The reservoir feeds the main branch of the Susquehanna through the Cowanesque River.

Water releases from the Cowanesque Reservoir begin when river flow at Wilkes-Barre drops below a threshold level for drought conditions, which was reached Monday.

Cowanesque Reservoir is the sole water make-up source for the Susquehanna plant, which consumes about 40 million gallons of river water per day when operating at full power.

The Montour plant is meeting drought requirements with releases from Cowanesque Reservoir and by reducing its intake of river water, which is drawn from the West Branch of the Susquehanna.

The coal-fired plant consumes about 17 million gallons of water a day when operating at full power.

To assure that the Montour plant has a sufficient supply of water to continue generating electricity, PP&L will draw water from Lake Chillisquaque, a man-made lake created by the utility as an emergency water source for the power plant.

Decreasing water level in Lake Chillisquaque may affect recreational uses of the lake for the Labor Day weekend and into early fall.

Drought measures at the two power plants will continue until river flow increases. PP&L is coordinating its response to the drought conditions with the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.

PP&L serves 1.2 million customers in 29 counties of eastern and central Pennsylvania.