BUCKEYE LAKE

Expert questions ODNR's motives at Buckeye Lake

Anna Bisaro
abisaro@gannett.com

BUCKEYE LAKE – A privately sponsored study of Buckeye Lake dam suggests the lake could safely hold more water than currently being allowed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

"I'm not sure what (the ODNR's) agenda is. ... They are not facing the realities of Buckeye Lake dam," Paul Rizzo, of Rizzo Associates, told members of the Buckeye Lake Chamber of Commerce, which commissioned his study. "Lowering the lake to where it is now is unacceptable. It's unnecessary."

Dams are statistically more likely to fail in the first five years after construction, he said. Given that Buckeye Lake's 4.1-mile earthen dam is almost 200 years old, he thinks there is no imminent danger.

He did acknowledge the dam had weaknesses that needed to be addressed.

"Old dams are like old men," Rizzo said to start his talk. "We get creaky joints, and we have to take care of those joints."

Rizzo said he would recommend adding another spillway on the lake to provide another place to release water in the event of a major storm. But, he said, the dam is not any worse off than it was in 1990.

"That does not mean it's in danger of imminent failure," he said.

In April, the ODNR lowered the water levels of Buckeye Lake to be kept at or below winter pool level, which is defined as 888.75 feet above sea level. This was one risk-mitigation strategy recommended by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after it found the dam to be severely weakened. Draining the lake was another suggestion.

The lower level in the already shallow lake has fueled fears of a slow summer for businesses.

Rizzo said the water levels could be safely brought back up to 890.75 feet above sea level if the Seller's Point Spillway were lowered by 18 inches. This would allow water to flow out of the lake faster in the event of a major storm, he said.

Rizzo's suggested water level is 1 foot below normal summer pool.

Should the ODNR take his recommendation, he said, he was not confident that Seller's Point Spillway could be lowered and water level raised before the end of the summer, citing bureaucratic red tape as the reason.

Members of the chamber and Rizzo presented these findings to the ODNR on Tuesday. Tim Ryan, president of the chamber, told The Advocate on Thursday he thought the meeting was cordial and opened up lines of communication for the future.

On Friday, Rizzo seemed less convinced.

"I'm not sure they heard us," he said. "They can't lose face over this. They have to be convinced it's technically correct to do what we're suggesting."

In a response Thursday, the ODNR discounted Rizzo's ideas.

"From what we've seen, their recommendation reduces the risk of overtopping, however potentially increases pressure on the dam, which can cause uncontrolled seepage and impact public safety," said Bethany McCorkle, communications spokeswoman for the ODNR. "The briefing did not offer a complete engineering analysis on the impact downstream."

McCorkle added the department will not raise water levels without a plan to meet Ohio dam safety standards.

Rizzo hopes to persuade the ODNR to change its approach.

"I hope we have some more discussions," Rizzo said. "I would hope that they consider seriously our proposal because it has some sound technical basis to it."

Ryan concluded Friday's meeting by reminding chamber members that Rizzo's findings were that the dam is not in an imminent threat of failure. He encouraged people to relax and take comfort in that.

"Put the life jackets away and put the medicine back in the cabinet and sleep well at night," he said.

abisaro@gannett.com

740-328-8822

Twitter: @abisaro_NEW