No specific infrastructure changes along the lengthy Kentucky River would have significantly prevented July flooding in eastern Kentucky. That's the word of the director of the Kentucky River Authority. It was established by the General Assembly in 1986 to take over the operation of locks and dams five through 14. David Hamilton is the director of the Authority. He said the flash flood nature of this event is much different than rain-swollen rivers.
“The difficulty of it is that you’ve just got so many of these small watersheds spread throughout the basin. It’s not one, two, or three rivers that you’re trying to come up with a solution,” said Hamilton.
Hamilton said there are hundreds of these types of watersheds in the eastern Kentucky region. The director noted part of the discussion will likely be how and where re-development occurs in the future. Hamilton added emergency notifications can also be challenging.
“I don’t know if there are any improvements warning wise or we can dial in where we think the greatest danger is on some of these creeks are or not. Certainly, that would be something to look at as well,” said Hamilton.
Hamilton doesn’t believe sediment levels along the Kentucky River contributed to high water levels during the flood. He said there are no easy solutions. Hamilton said a conversation has to take place on what to do and it could be a combination of measures.
