OPINION

Editorial: ODNR handling of Buckeye Lake troubling

Advocate Editorial Board

One can only wonder what the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is thinking when it comes to its ongoing handling of the Buckeye Lake dam situation.

Not only do newly released public records reveal troubling questions about ODNR’s monitoring of the dam and lowering of the water this year, the agency’s message at a Wednesday night forum was terribly contradictory.

In July, Gov. John Kasich touted a new soil mixing design plan that should speed up work. And he promised a responsible but expeditious effort to replace the deteriorating dam and perhaps even raise water levels some as early as next year.

But on Wednesday evening, residents were told significant dam construction will not even begin until spring 2017 and water levels may remain at their current winter pool levels until 2019, according to ODNR and its contractor for the dam replacement, Gannett Fleming.

The continuing disconnect between ODNR’s words and actions is far from encouraging.

As reported last week, Buckeye Lake dam seepage records finally provided to The Advocate afford little evidence of significant seepage at the dam since 2013, indicate response to known issues such as sinkholes was slow and that inspections were actually eased in 2014. That’s the same year ODNR ordered the Army Corps of Engineers report that eventually suggested draining the lake.

Why would you decrease inspections when concerns about the dam were so serious?

Many lake businesses have already posted documented losses resulting in Buckeye Lake being declared an economic disaster area deserving of Small Business Administration loans.

In at least one case, a Buckeye Lake tavern closed its doors before completing its first season at winter pool levels. The real estate market for homes sitting on dry canals or with a view of mud or weeds also remains uncertain. Weeds proliferate in dry canals and trees are taking root in the lake’s bed.

Right now, the future for lake businesses and residents looks bleak, indeed.

In an ideal world, ODNR and Gannett Fleming would find a responsible way to expedite the launch of dam replacement and completion.

At the very least, the burden is on ODNR to provide more consistent, credible and understandable evidence for its strategies and timetables for risk reduction and dam replacement.