Barren River Lock & Dam No. 1 being removed due to safety hazard

WARREN CO., Ky.-A dam built in Warren County nearly a century ago is being removed. 

“It’s actually in an active state of failure, it’s slowly failing as we speak,” said Project Manager Chris Wernick. 

The Barren River Lock and Dam No. 1 was built in 1933 at River Mile 15 for commercial use. After navigation on the Barren River came to a halt in 1965, the dam ceased operation. 

“Since that time, questions have been raised on what are we gonna do about these locks and dams,” said Kentucky Nature Conservancy State Director David Phemister. 

The dam was deauthorized in 2016. 

“There’s a lot of benefits on why the dam should come out, but most importantly the dam is currently failing so we would rather take it out in a controlled procedure, than a catastrophic loss,” said Wernick. 

The structure has rapidly deteriorated in the past few years, causing the river to pool with lower oxygen levels, more sediment and higher temperatures. 

“As opposed to a nice clean, concrete face of a dam, the water is evenly flowing over at the top, you can see water coming through the face of the dam in several places. There’s also a large slump in the dam itself,” said Phemister. 

These conditions can be harmful to aquatic life and the health of the river….but not only that. 

“It removes a big safety hazard for people, one if you’re out there now out there on boats you may have an issue with it,” said Wernick. 

Leaving the dam in also poses a risk to humans as well. 

“The base of these dams there’s what’s called a hydraulic, it’s spinning, and if you get trapped in that it can be really hard to get out,” said Phemister. 

The dam removal is expected to take three to four months.