USACE Work Plan: $280M for Rough River Dam rehab and $1.2M for Eastern KY study

The USACE Louisville District is set to receive a total of approximately $424.9 million in federal funding as part of the USACE Fiscal Year 2025 Work Plan for the Army Civil Works Program.

The funds will be used to advance two key projects in Kentucky – the Rough River Dam Safety Modification Project and the Eastern Kentucky, Upper Kentucky River Basin Feasibility Study – and to perform critical Operations & Maintenance activities at several USACE projects throughout Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio.

“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District is committed to efficiently using every dollar allocated by Congress to maintain navigation along the Ohio and Green Rivers and to maintain flood risk management at our reservoirs,” said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District Commander, Col. L. Reyn Mann, “Ensuring safe navigation of commercial goods and minimizing impacts of flood events directly contribute to public safety and a strong economy.”

Included in the Fiscal Year 2025 Work Plan is $283.7 million in federal funding to advance the Rough River Dam Safety Modification Project in Falls of Rough, Kentucky, which includes the construction of a new outlet works and a full-depth cutoff wall across the dam.

Contractor proposals for the project have been received and are currently under evaluation. USACE will hold a public meeting and share additional information as it becomes available.

The FY25 Work Plan also includes $1.2 million for the Eastern Kentucky, Upper Kentucky River Basin Feasibility Study, which is currently in the scoping phase, and is taking a comprehensive look at flood risk reduction across Breathitt, Clay, Estill, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Owsley, Perry, and Wolfe counties in Eastern Kentucky.