Photo By Charles Delano | Members of Dam Safety, Water Management and Project Management monitor the tailwater...... read more read more
Just weeks after the February 2025 flood event wreaked havoc on the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District was faced with another round of widespread flooding affecting an even larger swath of the Ohio River Basin, reaching across Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio.
A historic rainfall event during the first week of April, left the region inundated—some areas saw between 6 to 16 inches of rain in the span of four days, which pushed rivers and reservoirs to record levels. The Ohio River crested at 36.6 feet—moderate flood stage—in Louisville—the 8th highest level in recorded history.
“Our system of flood risk management reservoirs and projects performed as designed and prevented tens of millions of dollars in downstream damages. I am very proud of our team that jumped into action to do what they do best,” said Louisville District Commander L. Reyn Mann. “The district’s water management, operations, and dam and levee safety teams quickly mobilized in anticipation of this event. Working around the clock, they monitored conditions, managed reservoir releases and communicated with stakeholders to reduce flooding impacts to local communities and to maintain safe navigation along the region’s waterways.”
“These historic events have been challenging and our hearts go out to all
who were affected, but they have also served as a testament to the importance of our infrastructure and the dedicated team of individuals charged with operating and maintaining these critical projects. Without
these flood risk management reservoirs in place, we would have
undoubtedly seen exacerbated Ohio River flooding and further loss of life and property damage across Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. The dedicated professionals of the Louisville District squared off against two back-to back flood events, and they never flinched.”
During this event, two of the district’s FRM reservoirs reached record pools. Barren River Lake in Glasgow, Kentucky, reached 583.6 feet MSL (mean sea level) April 7, 2025. The previous record was set 36 years ago in March 1989 when the pool reached 583 feet MSL. Rough River Lake
in Falls of Rough, Kentucky, also reached record pool of 530.4 feet MSL April 6.
Notably, Rough River Lake reached spillway pool of 524 feet MSL April 4, 2025, and at its peak had more than 6.4 feet of water in the spillway with a total outflow (combined spillway and tower release) of approximately 8,500 cubic feet per second. The spillway provides a safe path for the excess flows once the dam reaches maximum capacity.
As water levels rose, the Louisville District developed the Rough River Lake Viewer—an inundation map for residents and emergency planners to
enhance community preparedness. USACE partnered with local and state emergency operation managers to keep nearby residents safe and informed.
The new publicly accessible interactive map allowed property owners to evaluate where their properties were in relation to water levels ranging from 510 to 536 feet—a game-changer in how the district communicates with nearby property owners during these high-pool events.
Several other lakes hit levels within their top five record pools of all time,
including Nolin River Lake, Green River Lake, Cave Run Lake, Taylorsville Lake, William H. Harsha Lake and Brookville Lake.
Due to elevated lake levels, dam safety personnel were conducting high pool inspections at dams across Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio, and in some cases were conducting 24/7 monitoring.
“Several of Louisville District’s reservoirs reached record pool levels, with
eight hitting top five historic highs—a huge challenge that our dam safety team rose to meet,” said Kate Brandner, Louisville District Dam Safety Section chief. “Under the leadership of dam safety program manager, Jackie Henn, the team ensured that all of the reservoir dams impacted were appropriately inspected and assessed for performance, the team was ready to react quickly. Their vigilance in tracking instrumentation and communicating field conditions in real time allowed leadership to make informed decisions in highly dynamic situations. The team worked long days—often at significant personal sacrifice—including 24-hour surveillance operations at Rough River, to ensure that every risk was identified and managed. Their commitment, collaboration and technical expertise were nothing short of outstanding, and they exemplified what
it means to serve with excellence and integrity under pressure.”
The district’s 17 reservoirs throughout Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio served their purpose and provided flood damage reduction for communities downstream. In fact, since their construction, these lake projects have helped prevent more than $3.9 billion in flood damages.
With the Ohio River reaching moderate flood stage, navigation was also
temporarily impacted. Locking ceased at various times during the flood event at Markland, McAlpine, Cannelton, Newburgh, John T. Myers and Smithland locks and dams. By April 19, each facility had resumed locking.
The Louisville District’s flood fight teams deployed three teams throughout
Kentucky and Indiana monitoring river and levee conditions and assisting levee sponsors.
Additionally, the Louisville District also helped to provide 201,000 sandbags to 16 counties throughout the Commonwealth.
Now that the water levels have receded, the Louisville District’s field staff have shifted focus to cleanup efforts. Evaluations are still underway to assess the conditions and safety of many recreation areas at the lake projects, but the teams are working hard to prepare for the 2025 recreation season.
The resilience and readiness of the Louisville District stand as a powerful
reminder of the critical role that flood risk management infrastructure plays in protecting lives and property. While the back-to-back flood events were challenging, they also showcased the unwavering dedication of the team behind the scenes.
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2025 13:56 |
| Story ID: | 496713 |
| Location: | KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Record rainfall, rising rivers: Inside the Louisville District's response to April's historic flooding, by Abby Korfhage, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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