Emergency Management personnel along with City of Marion officials, Kentucky Division of Water inspectors and Crittenden County leaders are at Lake George in Marion monitoring a leak in the lake’s levee.
Lake George, also known as City Lake, is the source of the town’s raw water which is treated at the nearby water plant before being distributed to Marion customers. Lake George is a watershed reservoir of about 65 acres.
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| The hole eroding in the levee at Lake George is growing by the hour. This photo was taken about 2 hours before dusk. |
City officials say there is no immediate threat to the drinking water in Marion and they are not issuing any sort of rationing notice at this time.
Of concern, however, is anything in the path of the water should the levee fail.
City officials noticed a leak Wednesday at the base of the levee, triggering an inspection by state officials. A hole was discovered about halfway up the levee, and it has grown exponentially over the evening hours Friday.
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| City fire trucks began pumping water from the lake late Friday. |
One resident in the low-lying area near the water plant has been advised that evacuation is recommended. Officials are also warning others along the path of Crooked Creek to be aware of the potential for rising waters and perhaps acute flooding should the levee break.
The city has some redundancy in its water supply with Old City Lake being a source of raw water and the Crittenden-Livingston Water District has been notified that Marion may need its help should long-term issues arise from this situation. The city has filled its water tank on Moore Hill and is currently filling tanks at the water plant, which gives Marion more than two days supply of drinking water.
“Signs of deterioration were noticed about 6:15 p.m., tonight,” City Administrator Adam Ledford said. “We have begun organizing our response and as of right now we are not issuing a restriction on water consumption or usage.”
Precautions should be exercised for anyone, including livestock or other assets, in low-lying areas along Crooked Crook from Marion to the mouth of the creek at the Ohio River at Old Fords Ferry.
Bridges that could be affected by high water from controlled discharges or in the case of a levee failure are on U.S. 60 just west of town at Marion Hardwoods and the KY 91 North bridge that is currently being replaced at the north edge of Marion.
At 11pm, Crittenden County Judge-Executive Perry Newcom issued a State of Emergency for the community, which will allow emergency personnel to access more state and federal resources if necessary.
City of Marion and Crittenden County fire trucks were dispatched to Lake George late Friday night to begin pumping water from the reservoir.
Stay tuned to The Crittenden Press for further updates as they are available.
This article was updated at 11:15pm with new information about the State of Emergency being issued and fire departments' response at Lake George.
