Deron Rambo, local emergency management director, says he expects a written report this week from Kentucky Utilities regarding the safety of Dix Dam.
In a March 13 letter to KU, Rambo said, "As you are aware citizens of Frankfort and Franklin County that live along the Kentucky River are very concerned about the potential risk to the community should a disaster occur at Dix Dam.
"The only information available to my office and these citizens is very dated and goes all the way back to the construction in the 1920s.
"The most recent data I have seen is from the 1980s and references very large holes and the lack of inspections to the lower portions of the dam which of course would cause concern to anyone who reads these reports."
KU owns the 84-year-old dam, 53 miles upstream from Frankfort on the Dix River, a tributary of the Kentucky River. When completed in 1925, Dix Dam was the world's largest rock-filled dam.
It is more than 1,000 feet long and 287 feet high and impounds Herrington Lake, which is 260 feet deep and 25 miles long.
Rambo spoke briefly at Monday's City Commission meeting after Jim Daniel, of the Kentucky Council for Dix Dam Safety, gave a presentation on the dangers of the dam.
Daniel, a retired enforcement agent for the state Division of Water, also plans to speak to Franklin County Fiscal Court soon.
"We have absolutely no documentation that the dam is safe, which is why we believe it may not be safe," Daniel said Monday.
U.S. Corps of Engineers' studies in the late 1970s determined there were numerous serious structural-integrity deficiencies, Daniel said.
"There are no records available that indicate that any of those deficiencies have been corrected," Daniel said.
Daniel says the only way to find out the condition of the dam is to drain the waters of Herrington Lake.
Clyde Baldwin, a retired chief engineer for the Division of Water, said at a January public meeting that's unnecessary. Drawing down the water behind a dam is just as dangerous as filling it the first time, he said.
"Drawing that structure completely wouldn't prove really a thing," Baldwin said. "You don't want to go through with that unless it's necessary."
In a letter to Gov. Steve Beshear on Jan. 30, Daniel said KU and its owner, E.on U.S., "should present for public review all documentation of maintenance and repair from 1925 to the present."
Daniel's letter to Beshear also said there's no record that the state Division of Water, "now the sole regulatory authority over this dam, has ever performed or required that the owner conduct a subsurface inspection of the upstream face of the dam."
The letter said the Division of Water "has been making public declarations that this high-hazard dam is safe and there is no justification to conduct a subsurface investigation."
However, on all official inspection reports, the Division of Water has a disclaimer saying it "does not intend this report to be taken as an assurance that no other problems exist at this site or that the dam is safe."
"That means it's not worth the paper it's written on if you have to put a disclaimer on like that," Daniel said at Monday's meeting.
Daniel has asked Beshear to require the Division of Water to take appropriate measures "to assure the downstream public that the Dix Dam is as safe as possibleYour help is crucially needed to avert a possible if not probable tragedy."
Daniel said today he has not received a response from the governor.
Daniel said Monday Dix Dam is the highest and one of the most dangerous dams in the state.
"Whether or not it is the most dangerous dam is open for debate," Daniel said Monday. "But one thing for certain is it's the most dangerous one for us."
Chris Whelan, director of communications for E.on U.S., said in January, "It's in our interest to ensure the dam is safe."
The dam is monitored daily and there are regular inspections for shifting and leaks including underwater inspections and biennial state evaluations, Whelan said.
"All rock-filled dams leak to some degree but none that would cause any issues," Whelan said.
Rambo's letter to KU was a follow-up to a meeting he had with KU officials on Jan. 22.
In his letter, Rambo asked KU to:
>Provide his office a copy of the current emergency plan that addresses the "emergency release of water and/or a partial or complete failure of the structure.
"Obviously we would like to be ensured that we will receive immediate notification should an incident occur. A successful evacuation would depend on it."
>Provide an updated estimate of the "time it would take a surge to reach Franklin County. The current estimate states it would take over 30 hours which we know is not accurate and is also based on the river being at summer pool which is highly unlikely."
>Consider sending KU representatives who "are very knowledgeable of this subject to Frankfort to conduct a community meeting to address citizen concerns firsthand
"The presence of outdated or inaccurate information helps no one and may even cause unnecessary panic." Rambo said he also wants to invite to the meeting emergency management directors and local elected officials from other counties along the Kentucky/River "that would be immediately affected."
>Provide a summary of recent maintenance and inspections that will show that KU "has been vigilant about the safety of the dam.
"You spoke in our meeting of recent work that had been completed. Older reports suggest that no attempt has been made (to) inspect the lower portions of the dam and that known issues have not been resolved.
"State Division of Water reports are very basic and based only on a visual surface assessment. This would be something very important to address in a public meeting."
>Discuss the possibility of partnering with the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Kentucky River Authority, "to place a flow monitor somewhere below the dam to assist in the notification of a surge and normal downstream forecasting."
That information could then be available to the public by phone or Internet, Rambo said.
He said the common goal should be "to create an effective partnership/that ensures we provide the highest level of safety for the public we serve. Perhaps the best place to start is through education by making available timely and accurate information."
Rambo told city commissioners Monday, "I think we're moving forward. I think it's baby steps. But I think this has been wanted for a long time. A big part of this is having an open dialogue, making sure everyone's on the same page.
"We should be on a first-name basis with (KU and Dix Dam emergency and safety officials). Then if something does happen, they won't have to wonder who to call. They'll know who to call."