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Lock-ed up: Design study for Lock and Dam 10 replacement to begin in two years

February 14, 2012|By Rachel Parsons | The Winchester Sun

James Mann | jmann@winchestersun.com

Plans are under way to replace the Kentucky River’s 103-year-old Lock and Dam 10, located just south of Clark County at Fort Boonesborough.

According to Sue Elliston, staff adviser for the Kentucky River Authority, the design process will begin in 2014, and will take about a year to complete. The project will be funded by water user fees the River Authority receives for allowing companies, including Winchester Municipal Utilities and East Kentucky Power, to draw water from the river for their operations.

Elliston and Jerry Raisor, the curator of the Kentucky River and Fort Boonesborough museums, spoke before Clark County Chamber of Commerce Community Services Committee members Monday at the Kentucky River Museum.

“We just wanted to come down and take a look at the dam. We’ve been talking about it for a year now, so it made sense to come and see it,” said Nick Comer, Community Services Committee chairman.

Comer also has studied the impact of rebuilding Lock and Dam 10 on Clark County as an employee at East Kentucky Power. The power company uses water from the Kentucky River to power Dale Station, a coal-fired power plant in the Boonesborough area, and Smith Station, a gas-fired power plant in Trapp.
Chamber members hope the new lock and dam will increase boat traffic and tourism for Clark County, as well as ensuring a reliable water source.

The River Authority plans to rebuild Lock and Dam 1, 2, 3 and 4 to improve access to the Ohio River. Dam 9 at Valley View was completed in 2010, and Dam 8 is currently in the design phase. New locks will not be built at either site. The Kentucky River runs from Carrollton to Beattyville.

The lock and dam are necessary to keep water levels high enough to provide water to Clark County residents, particularly in the dry summer months, Comer said. If there is a problem with the dam, “that would have a profound impact on Clark County in terms of water availability,” Comer said.

According to a report completed by Comer for the Community Services Committee, if water levels at Pool 10, created by Lock and Dam 10, drop as much as two feet, Dale Station could be forced to shut down completely.

WMU has a 60-day water supply at the Carroll Ecton Reservoir, but Comer said if a catastrophic event were to occur with Lock and Dam 10, it would not be enough to sustain Clark County until a new barrier could be put in place.

Despite Lock and Dam 10’s age, Elliston said the likelihood of serious damage in the next few years is small.

“Certainly, from the Chamber’s point of view, our biggest concern is just ensuring that dam remains in place,” Comer said.

Contact Rachel Parsons at rparsons@winchestersun.com, or follow her on Twitter, @ParsonsRachel.

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