07-04-2025
Kentucky officials left scrambling as rumor dam gates were accidentally opened spreads
CARROLLTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — As Kentucky battles deadly statewide flooding, officials are scrambling to clear the air after an inadvertent evacuation notice was issued.
On Sunday, April 6, in a live Facebook video, Carrollton Mayor Robb Adams warned that 10 gates at Dix Dam on the Kentucky River were accidentally opened and that anyone downstream needed to evacuate immediately.
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'If you're on the Kentucky River corridor, anywhere, and you're seeing this video, you need to evacuate and evacuate immediately,' Adams said.
Adams claimed that the warning came from state officials in Frankfort. Later that evening, LG&E and KU stated that the information being spread was false, the release was planned, and there was no need to panic.
We want to clarify some incorrect information that was shared today regarding a release at our Dix Dam generating station in Burgin. Reports that 10 gates were inadvertently opened at Dix Dam are inaccurate. On Friday evening, we opened spill gates in a controlled fashion according to our Dam Safety Procedures. Per protocol, a notification was sent out Friday evening at 5:30 p.m. alerting local officials and emergency personnel that a planned release would be beginning in a few hours. The National Weather Service was provided the same notification which was then relayed to the Ohio River Forecast Center to be factored into its river forecasts. For additional context, we only release inflow to Lake Herrington and no additional water into the river—meaning the flow of water is what would normally be in the river under current conditions. Flow into Herrington Lake has since subsided, and we are in the process of closing gates to maintain lake level until the Kentucky River crest subsides. Only 6 gates are currently open, and we are expecting to close additional gates this evening.
LG&E and KU
Later that evening, Adams apologized for the mistake.
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'All I did was pass along what we had at the time; all I'm doing now is passing along new, clear information,' Adams said. 'Somewhere, there was a miscommunication.'
However, he stated that it is expected to have the same impact on Carroll County, and mandatory evacuations are still in place for the Carrollton area.
In Gov. Andy Beshear's severe weather update on Monday morning, he said that the state is 'working to get to the bottom' of how this occurred.
'I think KU said that they were operating under their plan, but we need to make sure that we're all operating under one plan that benefits every single community that can be impacted,' Beshear emphasized.
Latest central Kentucky weather forecast
He said the next steps include speaking with KU and emergency management to ensure transparency regarding 'how many of those gates are being opened and about what the potential impact can be.'
Beshear admitted that communication is one area for improvement.
'That's one area where we need to do better, and on the communication side, we need to do better. Let me tell you, the mayor of Carrollton was only operating under, trying to help his people and others the best he could,' he said.
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