Across Kentucky, there are dozens of dams that state inspectors have identified as being in poor condition. Many are owned by private organizations or small government agencies that have trouble finding the money to repair them.
But weekend evacuations in Lebanon Junction show that even small dams that are not on that list can present risks. There, residents of Cedar Spring Drive were urged to evacuate Saturday after a landslide caused damage to a dam owned by Bullitt County Rod and Gun Club.
Sarah Demott is the president of the club. She said that while she had only been president for three years, she did not know of any previous county or state inspections of the dam, which is used for recreation. It does not appear on the Energy and Environment Cabinet's map of state-regulated dams, or on the National Inventory of Dams used to track dam management and safety.
"We were actually supposed to be hosting a kids' fishing tournament," Demott said. "And when the rain was coming down, it was coming over the spillways, and the rain was coming so fast that we noticed that it started to slide, and we called the Lebanon Junction Fire Department and reported the issues."
Demott said that the only runoff was from the lake overflowing rather than dam failure, and that the club is working on getting permits to repair the damage.
A representative for Bullitt County Emergency Management told WHAS 11 on Saturday that if the dam broke, it could put a foot of water on the road.
Of the 36 dams in Jefferson County monitored by the National Inventory of Dams, nine were rated as poor in their most recent inspection, meaning that they required repairs. One was rated as unsatisfactory, meaning that it required immediate or emergency remedial action.
That is a dam maintained by an organization affiliated with South Park Country Club, near Okolona. Water was seeping from it in 2023, but the most recent inspection still found it to be in need of repair in 2025.
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