Get the Facts: Why is there a continued push to remove low-head dams in Kentucky?n Elliott
HARDIN, Ky. —
There are thousands of dams across Kentucky, and some of those dams are considered low-head dams, which are known for creating a recirculating current that can be deadly.
The dams can be 1 to 15 feet in height, although larger ones exist, and water flows over the top of the dam.
"So if a paddler or a swimmer or an animal goes over the edge of the dam, they'll effectively just get pulled under," said Michael Washburn, Kentucky Waterways Alliance executive director. "You can be Michael Phelps, and you're very rarely gonna be able to swim yourself free."
For more information click here:
https://www.wlky.com/article/get-the-facts-why-continued-push-remove-low-head-dams-kentucky/66110659
Dam to be removed!
The Emrichsville Dam on the White River at Belmont Beach, one of more than 90 dangerous low-head dams across Indiana, will be removed with funds from a $750,000 federal grant.
Low-head dams, like Emrichsville, are extremely dangerous to Hoosiers enjoying time out on the water. The deaths of two kayakers who drowned after their boats capsized going over the dam April 16 was a stark reminder of the risks these structures pose.
Scott Salmon, executive director of Friends of the White River, said these structures create sort of a sideways whirlpool that recirculates water at the dam's base rather than flushing it downstream. The phenomenon is similar to how an ocean’s rip tide can pull people underwater and away from shore.
For more information click here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll9-gO1VyWM
IFD: 2 kayakers reported missing from White River
by: Tyler Haughn
Posted: Apr 16, 2024 / 11:07 PM EDT
Updated: Apr 16, 2024 / 11:27 PM EDT
A 911 caller said they saw the kayakers travel over the remnants of the low-head dam before their boats capsized and ejected the men into the water. The occupants never surfaced.
Firefighters found one blue and one orange kayak just south of the train tracks near the bank, the fire department said in a news release late Tuesday.
Over, Under, Gone - The Killer in Our Rivers
Low Head Dams have a quiet, inviting, picture postcard quality about them. But the water going over these dams can rise and erupt into a violent, Jekyll-Hyde death trap.
In this new WFYI documentary, we feel the attraction to these killer dams. We explore the efforts to mitigate their threat, and we become better equipped to keep ourselves out of danger.
Parents, DNR warn of dangers of low head dams.
Video from WRTV Indianapolis
June 12, 2014
Indiana DNR warns about dangers of Low Head Dams.
Video-WRTV Indianapolis
Dan River Warning: "It's a Drowning Machine."
WFMY News 2
Greensboro, North Carolina