Ohio River floodgates are up, so why is there still flooding? All 12 floodgates at the Markland Locks and Dam were raised by Thursday afternoon, but people living upriver should still expect flooding overnight.
and last updated 2021-03-04 20:05:05-05
WARSAW, Ky. â All 12 floodgates at the Markland Locks and Dam were raised by Thursday afternoon, but people living upriver should still expect flooding overnight.
Paul Kremer, deputy commander of the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division of the Army Corps of Engineers, explained that most Ohio River damsâ primary purpose is navigation for river traffic, not flood control.
That means the three-hour process of raising the floodgates helps prevent some flooding but canât handle it all, especially after a snowy February contributed so much extra water to the river.