Army Corp of Engineers recommends permanently draining Buckeye Lake

[Dryden]

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/03/11/Buckeye-Lake-dam-recommendations.html

Report: Buckeye Lake dam in danger of failure
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says replace dam or drain lake
By Eric Lyttle
The Columbus Dispatch • Wednesday March 11, 2015 5:04 PM

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the likelihood of a dam failure is high at Buckeye Lake and that the safest course of action would be to drain the lake permanently.

The Corps, which was brought in by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to assess the safety of the dam reported that the structural integrity of the 177-year-old dam has been “ significantly weakened by the more than 370 homes and other structures that that have been sunk into the 4.1-mile earthen dam embankment.”

When asked whether the current earthen dam was salvageable in the long term, Mike Spoor, engineer with the Huntington District of the Corps, which assessed Buckeye Lake, said flatly, “No.”

Spoor said that there were concerns that the dam might fail in the intervening months between when the Corps was first contacted and today, when it’s report was released.

The Corps report recommended an immediate replacement of the dam to prevent “catastrophic failure,” but added: “The safest solution for eliminating the risk of flooding due to dam failure is to drain the lake permanently.”

Cont'd ...

 

[Thump]

Read that earlier. If they built a new one it would take years.

Don't how they can "permanently" drain it with the need for some flood mitigation in that area.

 

[BUCKYLE]

Draining it would take like 8 hrs.

 

[Mike80]

Draining it would take like 8 hrs.

Yep - and then we'd get to see how many wrecked boats, submerged refrigerators, rusted cars and bodies are actually at the bottom of it....

 

[Jaxbuck]

Yep - and then we'd get to see how many wrecked boats, submerged refrigerators, rusted cars and bodies are actually at the bottom of it....

I wonder what the tsun reaction is going to be when Ohio has a better looking hole in the earth than they do?

 

[BUCKYLE]

Yep - and then we'd get to see how many wrecked boats, submerged refrigerators, rusted cars and bodies are actually at the bottom of it....

None. I would have stubbed my toe on any of those things.

 

[Dryden]

http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/story/news/local/2015/03/11/locals-react-dam-report/70174882/

Dam outlook deals crushing blow to lake businesses
Spencer Roush, 7:26 p.m. EDT March 11, 2015

MILLERSPORT – The thought of closing Buckeye Lake is surreal for the many business owners who survive on tourism, and they're not quite sure what to make of it.

A lake closure to repair the dam built more than 180 years ago has been threatened for more than three decades. However, that threat is real this time, and it's here.

"I'm still trying to digest some of it," said Clay Carroll, mayor of Buckeye Lake, hours after the the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a report saying dam failure is likely. The Corps said the safest course of action is to drain the lake permanently unless the Ohio Department of Natural Resources comes up with a plan to repair it.

Local business owners who had heard the news wondered what was next for them and how they could survive a long-time closure of the lake during its repair.

The answer for many of them was "no" when they considered a 12-month closure, let alone a four-year closure Fairfield County commissioner and local marina owner Dave Levacy was told was possible when he met with ODNR officials Wednesday.

Levacy said the four-year plan is not finalized, but it is a plan the ODNR is discussing as a possibility.

Cont'd ...

 

[Thump]

The people who built the new winery have to be sick.

 

[Onebuckfan]

I though Buckeye Lake died in the 70's..I left Ohio in 76..Who remembers the amusement park and the 'Wild Mouse' ride? Going 60's on you!

 

[maximumblitz]

They fixed the Alum Creek dam with bailing wire:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alum_Creek_Lake

 

[colobuck79]

I though Buckeye Lake died in the 70's..I left Ohio in 76..Who remembers the amusement park and the 'Wild Mouse' ride? Going 60's on you!

Didn't the roller coaster there have a big accident that killed people in the 60's?

 

[Dryden]

Didn't the roller coaster there have a big accident that killed people in the 60's?

There was an accident that lead to The Dips being permanently shut down in the late 50s, but nobody was killed.

 

[exhawg]

My parents live on BL and my mom was sick about it yesterday from what I heard. She's coming up today so I'm sure I'll hear all about it tonight. They really need to find a way to bring the water up enough for boats to at least use the lake while they make repairs. A couple feet below normal would probably be enough for pontoon boats. Just limit the speed on that end to 10 MPH. That way it would hurt for 3-5 years, but shouldn't put anyone out of business. What about the people that winterize their boats in the dock? Their boats are just stuck out there until it's fixed?

 

[BUCKYLE]

I make fun of its shallow depths, its smell, its proclivity for lake rats...but I can't lie. If it closed for four years, that would suck a lot.

 

[brodybuck21]

My friend and his wife own a house on BL that burnt down last year and they are just about done rebuilding it. In fact he was out there yesterday. Im guessing this is why he was out there....ugh