MOUNT VERNON — Following a court order, repairs are underway at the Knox Cattle Company Dam on Yauger Road.
On Nov. 1, Common Pleas Judge Richard Wetzel granted the State of Ohio’s request that additional interim risk reduction measures (IRRMs) be performed at the dam. As part of that order, the city will make the repairs on behalf of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
On Monday, Mount Vernon City Council passed as an emergency a measure authorizing the safety-service director to enter into contract for the IRRMs. The repairs include repairing the emergency spillway outlet to prevent further erosion and removing a 60-foot rusted outlet pipe.
On the spillway, the contractor will remove the existing rock lining, reshape and level the soil in the channel, replace the removed rock, and fill the channel with new smaller rock to fill any gaps. The upper 40 feet of the channel will be filled with new concrete grout.
The rusted outlet pipe can cause internal erosion of the dam, potentially leading to the release of water from the reservoir. Repairs involve removing and replacing compacted soil, installing a plastic catch basin installed, and reseeding the grass.
City Engineer Brian Ball expects the work to be completed by Thanksgiving.
The estimated repair cost is $65,000, which the city will pay. The city will be reimbursed when the case is settled and it is determined who should rightfully maintain the dam.
ODNR filed a suit in in January asking the court to determine the legal owners of the dam so that the dam can be brought into compliance with ODNR’s dam safety laws.
The suit involves about 135 parties. Wetzel has previously said that more parties need to be joined to the suit. Last month, he ordered that all persons who own property contiguous to property owned by the Landings Property Owners Association be added as defendants.
