The Owsley Fork Reservoir Dam project recently received approval for 90 percent of its design, with a few more steps to go before bidding and construction can begin.
Berea Municipal Utilities Manager Kevin Howard made the announcement at a business meeting of the Berea City Council earlier this month, revealing that approval was granted from the National Resources Conservation Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
While the latest review drew suggestions from federal and state officials, Howard said the project appears to be moving toward the bidding and construction phase, pending full approval of the plan.
“We feel like we’re well on our way to 100 percent approval,” Howard said.
Before that can occur, several things need to happen, he said.
First, BMU continues to work with local families about the relocation of the Levi Parks Cemetery, which is on the banks of Owsley Forks Reservoir. The burial site, which dates back to 1851, has over 20 marked graves, and Berea College has volunteered a relocation plot on Radford Hollow Road, said officials. Howard noted that some families have requested to have their ancestors’ remains reinterred elsewhere.
Additionally, Howard said the city needs to secure some property easements, most of which lie on 55 acres of Berea College land, and to purchase a small lot that will be affected by the project.
The plan is to raise Owsley Fork Reservoir Dam approximately six feet, expanding the capacity of the reservoir from 650 million gallons to one billion gallons of water. The city’s total water storage capacity is currently 890 million gallons, including B-Lake and Cowbell Lake. When the reservoirs are at full capacity, the City of Berea has approximately 300 days of fresh water.
Howard expressed hope that BMU could receive 100 percent approval from NRCS by July 1, at which point the contract would go out to bid. If approved, the city would bear 35 percent of the total cost, or an estimated 9 million, while the rest would be paid with federal and state funds, officials said.
The entire project, which will include raising the height of Radford Hallow Road and Owsley Fork Road to 100-year-flood levels, will take between 18 months and two years, Howard stated.
According to Howard, a town hall meeting is planned to give the public a chance to learn more and provide input, but he said BMU will likely complete some tasks before that takes place.
“We’re at the point now where we feel like the 90 percent is pretty much what we’re going to be moving forward with,” Howard said. “But I would like to complete the surveying before we host the forum.”
At one point in the project, for perhaps four to six months, Howard said the city will request voluntary water conservation measures from citizens while the dam’s intake structure is completed. For that to happen, the water level in Owsley Fork has to be dropped seven feet and kept there until the intake phase is completed. That means the system will be down 331 million gallons of water, which would typically last the city approximately 110 days, said Howard.
If there’s a drought during construction, those water conservation measures may have to become mandatory, Howard said.
In the meantime, the city has started a water conservation group to plan for that period, including participants from local industries, Berea College, educational institutions, as well as wholesale water customers.
Berea City Councilmember Teresa Scenters thanked Howard for working with citizens regarding the cemetery relocation, but she also expressed gratitude that the project, which was first discussed in 1988 by Berea College, is moving forward at last.
“It is really good to see this at the point of starting,” Scenters said.
Councilman Ronnie Terrill praised Howard as well, stating: “It’s unbelievable the amount of time you’ve put in on this.”
Mayor Bruce Fraley and Berea City Administrator Rose Beverly also thanked Howard, noting he is tasked with running three city utilities – electric, water, sewer – while seeing the Owsley Fork Dam project through toward acceptance and completion.
“It’s one thing to talk about getting a project like this done, but it’s another to actually get it done,” Beverly said.
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