USACE announces emergency removal of remaining portions of Green River Lock and Dam 6

LOUISVILLE, KY, UNITED STATES

08.29.2022

Story by Abby Korfhage 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District is employing emergency authority to remove remaining portions of Green River Lock and Dam 6, near Brownsville, Kentucky, which is obstructing Green River.

Currently, the remaining portions of Green River Dam 6 are obstructing a navigable waterway and presenting a safety hazard to members of the public using the river recreationally. As such, USACE Louisville District has authority to remove the remaining portions of Green River Dam 6 via Section 20 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899.

Under an interagency support agreement between USACE and the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife Service, most of Green River Dam 6 was removed in spring 2017.

“After the dam failed in November 2016 and posed significant safety concerns, USACE worked in partnership with USFWS to remove the dam,” said Chris Wernick, Louisville District project manager. “At the time, flows in the Green River as well as the impoundment effects from Green River Lock and Dam 5 made the complete removal of Green River Dam 6 impossible.”

With the partial removal of Green River Dam 5 near Roundhill, Kentucky, this summer and existing low water conditions, the remaining elements of Green River Dam 6 have now been exposed and can be fully removed from the river.

“Public safety is our number one priority,” Wernick said. “We are working closely with our partners to eliminate this safety hazard as quickly as possible. In the interim, we would like to remind the public to exercise caution and avoid this stretch of the Green River.”

USFWS will begin work river as soon as water levels reach an optimal level for work to commence and is scheduled to be complete within 2 weeks, as long as weather conditions and water levels are favorable. Removal efforts are dependent on weather and low water levels.

For more information, contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District Public Affairs Office at [phone].

• Date Taken: 08.29.2022
• Date Posted: 08.29.2022 15:47
• Story ID: 428267
• Location: LOUISVILLE, KY, US