Carroll County announces mandatory evacuations after release of water at Dix Dam

Yahoo

07-04-2025

A large release of water at Dix Dam is causing concerns and mandatory evacuations in Carroll County, county officials said Sunday.
As a result, parts of Carroll County are under mandatory evacuation, including Prestonville, Greensbottom, Happy Hollow and Blue Lick, according to information from Mike Ratliff, the Carroll County Emergency Management Director.
Carrollton Mayor Robb Adams said in a Facebook live he'd been told by the Kentucky Emergency Management office that 10 gates at Dix Dam had been accidentally opened and were not able to be closed.
But the Henry County Emergency Management said the dam was opened as 'a planned event' because Harrington Lake was full, and water needed to be released.
'If you're on the Kentucky River corridor anywhere, and you're seeing this video, you need to evacuate,' Adams said. 'You need to evacuate immediately.'
Kentucky Utilities spokesman Daniel Lowry confirmed the release of water was intentional, adding the spill gates had been opened 'in a controlled fashion' since Friday evening, 'and everything has been going per procedures.'
'Flow into Herrington Lake has subsided starting this (Sunday) morning and we are in the process of closing gates tonight,' Lowry said.
Franklin County Judge-Executive Michael Mueller echoed similar statements in an update posted to Facebook, calling Adams' statements 'misinformation' and saying all water released from Dix Dam was done so intentionally.
'They are not releasing 20 feet (of water), they are not opening 10 gates,' Mueller said. 'Everything they are doing has been planned, has been approved by Emergency Management.'
In an interview with the Herald-Leader, Adams confirmed he'd talked to the emergency management office around noon Sunday, and to his knowledge, the gates at Dix Dam haven't been closed or cannot be closed. The emergency management office warned it could bring higher water than ever recorded along the Kentucky River, he said.
Dix Dam is located between Mercer and Garrard counties, about 80 miles from Carrollton, and is operated by Kentucky Utilities. KU did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Kentucky River starts near Beattyville in Lee County and flows northwest, joining the Ohio River in Carrollton, according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica.
In an emergency notice from Carroll County, residents were warned that if they do not evacuate, the county may not be able to assist them as water levels rise.
'The state has advised that the impacts of this major release are unprecedented and unpredictable,' the notice said. 'All we know for sure is that this is going to impact our area in a major way.'
Carrollton is located where the Kentucky and Ohio rivers meet, both of which have experienced large amounts of flooding in the aftermath of days of near-constant rain. The Kentucky River is expected to rise to record-setting levels in the coming days.
Carrollton is about halfway between Cincinnati's Northern Kentucky counties and metro Louisville.
'This is a significant threat that should be taken seriously,' the notice reads. 'If you fail to evacuate, there is no guarantee in that resources exist that will provide for your rescue. This is a high-impact event and should be taken as a life-threatening emergency.'
In the Facebook video, Adams urged residents to take the warning seriously and to not try and 'ride this out.'
'It exceeds expectations, it exceeds any gauges or any data that they have in past history, ever,' Adams said.
Adams told the Herald-Leader he was warned by the emergency management office 'there is no data on file to support what we might get.'
'We don't expect a wave or a wall, or something you can physically see happening, but it will be a rapid rise and is not expected to crest until Tuesday sometime,' Adams said.