Several communities in Carroll County remain under a mandatory evacuation order after confusion surrounding the opening of a river dam led to conflicting accounts among Kentucky officials throughout much of the day on Sunday.This confusion for northern Kentucky residents started on Sunday afternoon after Carrollton Mayor Robb Adams said that the Dix Dam in the central part of the state opened 10 of its gates, sending water rushing down the Kentucky River that would inundate the communities located along it in one massive surge. Adams said that the dam’s opening appeared to him to be accidental from information he had received from Kentucky state officials. However, later on Sunday afternoon, Kentucky Transportation District 7 contradicted this account by saying that the release was planned, and that the release of water was factored into predicted flood models and would not lead to a large surge of water being released all at once.The Dix Dam connects to the Kentucky River, which flows directly through Carroll County into the Ohio River.The mayor originally passed along the update in a Facebook Live video that was posted just before 3 p.m. on Sunday.Later, in a subsequent Facebook video on Sunday evening, Adams backtracked from his earlier claim that the dam opened unintentionally, saying that state officials did not pass along much substantial information to him about its planned release of water, leading him to be under the impression that it was accidental in nature and would lead to a massive surge of water flowing through the Kentucky River.Despite this clarification, Adams said that the mandatory evacuations he ordered because of the dam’s opening will still remain in place throughout Carroll County, as water levels from the Kentucky River and Ohio River are still expected to be at flooding stage throughout Sunday night.Communities and streets ordered to evacuate within Carroll County are:PrestonvilleGreensbottonHappy HollowBlue LickLock Number 1 RoadLower Mason Street In his first video, Adams originally said that all others who live directly along the Kentucky River should also evacuate, saying that they can expect “an extremely, extremely rapid rise in the water” due to the release of water from the dam, and compared the impact of the dam opening to the 1937 flood seen across the region.The severity of the flooding across Carroll County was not immediately clear Sunday night.The entirety of the city of Carollton itself is not under a mandatory evacuation order. However, surrounding communities such as Prestonville — which sits directly across from the Kentucky River — are.Adams said in his first video that residents failing to evacuate could put them at risk due to Carroll County’s limited emergency response personnel.”If you have means to get out on your own in those areas that I mentioned, go now,” Adams said. “Every time someone is able to get out on their own, it saves our personnel. Because we are limited, so limited on boots on the ground — firefighters, volunteers — we are so limited on that with everything else going on.” More specifics surrounding how information about the dam got miscommunicated between state and local officials was not immediately clear.
CARROLL COUNTY, Ky. —Several communities in Carroll County remain under a mandatory evacuation order after confusion surrounding the opening of a river dam led to conflicting accounts among Kentucky officials throughout much of the day on Sunday.
This confusion for northern Kentucky residents started on Sunday afternoon after Carrollton Mayor Robb Adams said that the Dix Dam in the central part of the state opened 10 of its gates, sending water rushing down the Kentucky River that would inundate the communities located along it in one massive surge. Adams said that the dam’s opening appeared to him to be accidental from information he had received from Kentucky state officials.
However, later on Sunday afternoon, Kentucky Transportation District 7 contradicted this account by saying that the release was planned, and that the release of water was factored into predicted flood models and would not lead to a large surge of water being released all at once.
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UpdateCorrection:An earlier post should have stated that the release of water from the Herrington Lake Spillway in Mercer Co. was planned due to the level of the lake.
All flood prediction models factored the release into the predicted flood models.
— KYTC District 7 (@KYTCDistrict7) April 6, 2025
The Dix Dam connects to the Kentucky River, which flows directly through Carroll County into the Ohio River.
The mayor originally passed along the update in a Facebook Live video that was posted just before 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Later, in a subsequent Facebook video on Sunday evening, Adams backtracked from his earlier claim that the dam opened unintentionally, saying that state officials did not pass along much substantial information to him about its planned release of water, leading him to be under the impression that it was accidental in nature and would lead to a massive surge of water flowing through the Kentucky River.
Despite this clarification, Adams said that the mandatory evacuations he ordered because of the dam’s opening will still remain in place throughout Carroll County, as water levels from the Kentucky River and Ohio River are still expected to be at flooding stage throughout Sunday night.
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Communities and streets ordered to evacuate within Carroll County are:
- Prestonville
- Greensbotton
- Happy Hollow
- Blue Lick
- Lock Number 1 Road
- Lower Mason Street
In his first video, Adams originally said that all others who live directly along the Kentucky River should also evacuate, saying that they can expect “an extremely, extremely rapid rise in the water” due to the release of water from the dam, and compared the impact of the dam opening to the 1937 flood seen across the region.
The severity of the flooding across Carroll County was not immediately clear Sunday night.
The entirety of the city of Carollton itself is not under a mandatory evacuation order. However, surrounding communities such as Prestonville — which sits directly across from the Kentucky River — are.
Adams said in his first video that residents failing to evacuate could put them at risk due to Carroll County’s limited emergency response personnel.
“If you have means to get out on your own in those areas that I mentioned, go now,” Adams said. “Every time someone is able to get out on their own, it saves our personnel. Because we are limited, so limited on boots on the ground — firefighters, volunteers — we are so limited on that with everything else going on.”
More specifics surrounding how information about the dam got miscommunicated between state and local officials was not immediately clear.
