Louisville, KY. – Patoka Lake, near Dubois, IN has reached the spillway elevation of 548.0 as of noon today. As a result there will be increased releases from the dam which in combination with uncontrolled runoff will increase the river stages downstream. Rainfall forecast indicate the lake will be near this level for a week or more.
The spillway is an open rock cut located away from the dam and is designed to allow a safe release of excess water. The top of the dam is 16 feet higher than the spillway floor elevation and is not in danger of being overtopped.
USACE staff have been performing increased surveillance and monitoring of the dam to ensure its safety. No concerns of the integrity of the dam have been observed and it is structurally sound and operating as designed.
If you reside or own property along low lying areas adjacent to the Patoka River please keep aware of weather forecasts and associated river levels that could impact you. Areas around the lake shoreline may also be impacted because of the increased level of the lake.
The Corps is working with local and state emergency operation managers in efforts to keep people affected by this situation safe and informed.
To monitor real-time lake and river level information, please visit the USGS web site at:
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/in/nwis/current/?type=flow
Patoka Lake Gauge:
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/in/nwis/uv/?site_no=03374498&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,62614,00010
For the latest updates visit: www.facebook.com/LouisvilleUSACE
