Louisville District holds public meeting on Phase 2 of the Rough River Dam Safety Modification project

Photo By Michael Maddox | The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District hosted an informational public meeting to provide an update on Phase 2 of the Rough River Dam Safety Modification project at Rough River Lake in Falls of Rough, Kentucky Feb. 24, 2026. Phase 2 will include construction of a new outlet works and a full-depth cutoff wall across the dam, which will provide permanent risk reduction to communities downstream.  

KENTUCKY, UNITED STATES

02.25.2026

Story by Michael Maddox 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District hosted an informational public meeting to provide an update on Phase 2 of the Rough River Dam Safety Modification project at Rough River Lake in Falls of Rough, Kentucky Feb. 24, 2026.

During the meeting, Project Manager Steve Durrett shared information on the history of dam including past remediation activities the district implemented, an overview of the work to take place during Phase 2, and what activities the community could expect to see as construction begins. Afterwards district staff provided additional information during a question-and-answer period.

Col. L. Reyn Mann, Louisville District commander, kicked off the meeting by underscoring the critical importance of the mega project.

“We have some exciting news today that we were finally able to award the Safety Modification project – this is such a huge milestone. We’re excited to start the clock on what should be a six-to-eight-year project,” she said. “We are going to tell you about some of the stuff that has made the Corps one of the most astounding engineering agencies the world has ever known – for 250 years doing the most complicated things.”

“It’s not lost on me that about a year we were watching the highest pool level on record, so the urgency of this as we head into another flood season cannot be overstated,” Mann added. “We are just excited to get started because we have a lot of smart folks that have put in years in preparation for this day. We are about to set loose on a project here that will set this dam up for decades of success to come.”

The Louisville District awarded a base contract for $320 million in December 2025 to Thalle-Bauer LLC., out of Hillsborough, North Carolina, for Phase 2 of the Rough River Dam Safety Modification project. Phase 2 will include construction of a new outlet works and a full-depth cutoff wall across the dam, which will provide permanent risk reduction to communities downstream.

The Dam Safety Modification project is a result of a report from July 2012, which highlighted unacceptable risk due to the dam’s foundation being constructed on karst geology. The report recommended major rehabilitation to ensure the structure’s integrity and to lower the project’s risk.

Phase 1, which relocated the crest road and completed exploratory drilling and grouting across the centerline of the dam, was finished in May 2017. In 2023, USACE implemented several Interim Risk Reduction Measures to ensure life safety and further protect the integrity of the dam until Phase 2 is completed.

Phase 2 is expected to be completed in six to eight years.

For project updates visit the Rough River Lake Facebook page at [www.facebook.com/RoughRiverLakeUSACE](http://www.facebook.com/RoughRiverLakeUSACE) or the project webpage at [https://go.mil/rrl-dsm](https://go.mil/rrl-dsm).

• Date Taken: 02.25.2026
• Date Posted: 02.25.2026 11:27
• Story ID: 558854
• Location: KENTUCKY, US