Patoka River logjams a concern for Army Corps of Engineers

The Army Corps of Engineers is concerned about a large debris field and log jam that has formed about a mile downstream from Coon-Seitz Bridge.

The jam located on the Patoka River northwest of Jasper is one of several that have formed on the Patoka River as it runs through Dubois County, but this one has the corps worried due to how it is impacting the water flow.

You can see in the photo and video sent in by kayaker Ron Sergesketter, this jam has created a debris field that extends about a city block upstream from where the initial tree fell. With the build up of other brush, logs and debris, water has backed up a bit.

According to Adam Connelly, Patoka Lake Water Management Team Lead with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the logjam is restricting the amount of water that can move downstream. “As far as the operation of the Patoka Lake Dam, that is somewhat inhibiting our ability to let water out,” he said. “If we get any heavy rainfalls down the road, we will have to let even more water out because of our operating criteria, and that will become a mess.”

If there is a heavy rainstorm, the areas upstream could be impacted by water backing up and flooding due to its inability to drain.

Additionally, with the high amount of water already in the reservoir, it is difficult to drain the lake to bring those levels down to summer pool.

“Before, we would have let out 300 to 400 cubic feet per second of water,” Connelly said. “Right now we are only letting out 150 cubic feet per second to hit our target stage.”

The Patoka River Conservancy District handles clearing logjams to keep the river from backing up. However, the number of logjams that have to be cleared have increased the costs to do so considerably.

The conservancy district is a board comprised of six farmers who monitor the river for obstructions from the Patoka Lake Dam to where the river enters Gibson County.

According to Alan Small, president of the Upper Patoka River Conservancy District, they have a contract with Phillip Stillwell to clear logjams on the 50 or so miles of river they monitor.

But this amount of debris and logs will add to the cost of the annual service.

Dubois County Emergency Management Agency Director Tammy Humbert is working with the county commissioners, U.S. Corps of Engineers and the Conservancy to procure a grant to help pay for the cleanup.

As the water has receded, the Conservancy has begun clearing jams upstream. They will work their way downstream as the water continues to go down and eventually get to the large jam near Coon-Seitz.

“The key is to get Patoka Lake down to summer pool,” Humbert said. “If we get two inches of rain, that could be pretty bad.”