State lowering Lake White after complaints of leaks

Lake White, where the state invested $31.7 million in a recent project that included rebuilding the dam, must now be at least partially drained.

The lake, near Waverly in Pike County, had an “unidentified source of water movement,” the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said Thursday night.

To figure out why the lake is losing water, in spite of a new dam that just was finished, ODNR engineers began lowering the water levels at 9 p.m.

That will allow for a full inspection, the state said in a written release. Officials said they don’t believe the dam is at risk but said the move comes “out of an abundance of caution.”

Residents of the lake have complained for weeks about the rapid pace at which the lake level has been lowering since the dam construction was finished.

Two weeks ago, the state told The Dispatch that the water drop was to be expected because while the lake was drained for construction, the aquifer levels were low and were now taking up water.

Residents of the 337acre lake did not buy the state’s answers.

Lake resident Paul Price said he spotted leaks in the dam. He said he has been working with Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, who is the representative for the Pike County area, on the issue. He said Rosenberger has been responsive.

“I am kind of upset about it,” Price said. “Their statement said they are doing this out of an overabundance of caution. It basically takes away the rest of the boating season.

“If the dam is truly leaking, why don’t they just admit it?” Price said.

Braydon Bevens, another lake resident, said he was frustrated about the sudden announcement.

“We’ve been complaining about the issue for three weeks,” Bevens said, noting that the water level continued to drop but authorities kept saying it was due to natural causes.

Residents were notified Thursday night so they could attend to their boats and docks. The announcement set off a scramble for people to get their boats out of the lake, especially because there is a heavy rainstorm predicted for Pike County, Bevens said.

The lake project was a in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Transportation, which has not yet completed rebuilding Route 104, which runs over the top of the dam.