LBL closed

[Jimmie in Ky]

Due to high water they have even closed the lakes to boat traffic, both of htem!! Water began spilling over the closed gates on Barkley the other night and htey were forced to open them flooding several small towns downstream. Not a lot of happy campers in Livingston county right now.

Catfishermen are pissed !! Mother nature has chummed the waters with dead livestock and htey can't get out on hte lake Jimmie

[KySongDog]

I went turkey hunting yesterday morning down in Caldwell county and the bottoms was flooded out.  Looks like an ocean down there right now.   

[Jimmie in Ky]

I have now seen airial photos and am amazed. The lockwall cannot be seen , and the public restroom near the parking lot below Barkley has about two feet of water in it. The restroom is ten feet in elevation above the parking lot. I have been told that water spilled over the closed gates on Barkley saturday night. They had no option other than to open the gates and increase flooding down stream. Which in turn make water back up all along the Ohio.

Water levels started dropping near Wickliffe Ky on wedsnday. I have never in all my years seen local flood waters stay that high that long down there.

All of this brings up the question of should the Corp of engineers keep the lake levels low until later in hte year. Every major flood episode we have had over the last 35 years has been just after they bring the lakes to summer pool, which is April 15. Bringing them to summer pool after May 1 would leave them a lot of room to play with.

[HaMeR]

I agree with your thinking on the lakes Jimmie. Up here where I'm at the Corps of Engineers & DNR work together to try for the happy medium of reducing floods & getting the lakes back up for the spawn for fishermen/women to be able to enjoy their sport. I think they do a decent job as we've only had 3 bad floods,, NOTHING like what you are experiencing but bad for our area,, that I can remember. It's a delicate dance they try to play out with the whole thing being orchestrated by Mother Nature.