Little Miami Wild and Scenic River

This looks to be a great canoe and camping, trip.

The Little Miami originates near Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve and National Natural Landmark. Flowing through a deep gorge, wooded bluffs, and rolling farmlands, it is located between Dayton and Cincinnati, placing it within an hour's drive of over 3 million people.

Cumberland Falls Via Houseboat

~1500cfs
While at a bachelor party on Lake Cumberland, I snuck away on Sunday to run Cumberland Below the Falls with some of the Viking Canoe Club. This was after Jay failed to join me on Saturday for our originally planned run. (Sorry to Kevin on that front. We'll have to try again soon.) The water level was up and the CBF was beefy. Screaming Right was an auto mystery move, but didn't suck you into the hole. Surfers was pretty sticky, especially on river right. The paddle out was long, seemed longer than normal. But it was a great run and a great addition to relaxing at the lake all weekend.

City seeks additional water source

Feasibility study being done on Salt River

With the plentiful rainfall this summer, Bardstown's source of water, Sympson Lake, has been overflowing. But such was not the case last summer and the summer before, when dry weather had some wondering if the city's water supply was sufficient.

To prepare for future droughts and to meet the demand for water in a growing community, the city has hired engineering firm Kenvirons to do a feasibility study on drawing water from Salt River near the Bullitt County-Spencer County line and pumping it to North Bardstown.

Bardstown City Council recently agreed to pay a $212,000 stream mitigation fee to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for harm the Corps believes will come to a stream during expansion of the water treatment plant. The Council, therefore, is conscious of possibly having to pay for any environmental impact perceived to result from a new source of water, Mayor Dick Heaton said. A reservoir or dam could be financially impractical because of fees that might be incurred, he said.

The Salt River study will be compared to previous studies on alternative sources of water to see which is the most feasible, City Engineer Larry Hamilton said. Sympson Lake is adequate at this point, but the city needs to plan for growth, he said.

The study will cost $21,000. The Corps of Engineers will have to review it, which will cost an additional $20,000. Congressman Brett Guthrie helped the city secure a grant to cover the Corps fee, Heaton said.

The Flood – 2009

Storm-fed flash floods hit Kentucky, Indiana

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Heavy thunderstorms fed floods in Kentucky and Indiana on Tuesday, shutting down a university campus in Louisville, closing highways and cutting power to thousands of people.

The storm shut down the University of Louisville, where about a dozen buildings were without power and a dozen more had some flooding on the main campus, said university spokesman Mark Hebert. Dozens of university of employees were evacuated, he said.

Floodwaters gushed over guardrails on Interstate 65, bringing traffic to a standstill in Clark County, Ind., across the Ohio River from Louisville.

National Weather Service hydrologist Mike Callahan said the Rubbertown area in western Louisville was swamped by more than 6 inches of rain in three hours Tuesday morning. Callahan said the slow-moving storm "went right into Louisville and just sat there."

Craig Buthod, director of Louisville's public library system, said 3 1/2 feet of water inundated the main library's lower level. He said tens of thousands of books were lost and the library was forced to close. He said staff vehicles and bookmobiles were also flooded.

City officials said there had been no reports of significant injuries.

In Indiana, police and state conservation officers rescued several people, mostly stranded motorists caught in high waters, said spokesman John Erickson of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

Duke Energy reported more than 24,000 customers without power just after noon, including nearly 14,000 in western Indiana.

A flash flood warning was in effect into the afternoon for Louisville and other parts of the metro area, and forecasters said the region could be hit by more thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Whitewater boaters rejoiced.