New Kentucky River dam is finished

For the first time in more than a century, a new dam spans the Kentucky River at Valley View. The dam is important because it holds the pool from which Lexington gets most of its water.

Three years of seasonal construction ended Monday, said Daniel Gilbert of Stantec Consulting Services. Stantec designed the dam and has inspected the work; Gilbert is the project's resident engineer.

The new Dam 9 consists of eight concrete-filled steel cylinders, each 52 feet in diameter.

It sits in front of the old Lock and Dam 9, which was completed in 1903 and consists, in part, of timbers covered with concrete. The old dam had been renovated several times, but it was considered too old for long-term water supply needs.

Under normal conditions, water pours over a portion of the new dam, just as it did the old dam. There is no lock in the new dam to allow boats to pass. But it is designed with a cylinder directly in front of the old lock. The idea is that that cylinder could be removed in the unlikely event that there would be funding for a lock.

The new dam was built by C.J. Mahan, a company from near Columbus, Ohio. The final cost, according to the Kentucky River Authority: $14,933,136.98.

Dam 9 originally was to be completed last year. Several factors, including high water periods, caused delays, Gilbert said.

In 2008, fees the river authority levies on those who withdraw water from the river were raised to pay for Dam 9. Water utilities pass the costs to their customers. The increase ended up costing the average residential customer about 30 cents a month.

The river authority also is replacing Lock and Dam 3, north of Frankfort in Owen County, which holds another pool that contributes to Lexington's water supply. Construction is nearly half finished.

Kentucky American Water has a withdrawal pipe in the pool behind Dam 9 and recently completed a new plant that draws from the pool behind Dam 3.

Next up is engineering work on Dam 8, which holds the water supply for Nicholasville, said Stephen Reeder, the river authority's executive director.

The 14 dams of the Kentucky River navigation system were built between 1836 and 1917. Their primary purpose was to bring coal out of Eastern Kentucky.

By the time the last dam was completed near Beattyville in Lee County, the railroads had reached the region, and little coal ever moved on the river. Most of the locks now don't work, inhibiting pleasure boating on the river, but the dams are important for water supply.

This story was originally published October 6, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "New Kentucky River dam is finished."