The River Falls And The River Rises.....

So what's with weather? This past weekend was pretty much a washout in and around the Ohio River in southern Ohio/northern Kentucky. We cancelled our kayak trip through the Meldahl Dam locks because of safety concerns. Our rule of thumb is to not paddle the Ohio River  downstream when the level at Cincinnati is above 29ft.....Lots of unhappy friends on missing the adventure.

We woke up today to the river level falling. Good news. Early this morning the river was projected down near 29-30 feet by the weekend........The problem is the forecast was revised and now look what's happening......

The Ohio River hitting near 40 feet will, once again, bring pleasure boat and paddling traffic to a standstill and cause flooding. We need to better understand why the river fluctuates so wildly between the dams at Cincinnati, Ohio, yet does not fluctuate in the same manner above the Meldahl dam (Chilo, Ohio) and below the Markland Dam (Switzerland County, Indianna/Warsaw, Kentucky). While we understand the basic "flood control" idea, it seems like Augusta, Kentucky (above the dam) and river cities below the Markland Dam have so little flooding, while New Richmond, Ohio and the California area of Cincinnati are regularly subjected to the ravages of the waters. Help us understand!