NEW RICHMOND, Ohio — Village officials are closely watching a rising Ohio River to protect New Richmond’s newly built riverfront docks, coordinating with a marine construction crew that is ready to deploy a work barge if the water threatens the structures, the village said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
The river is rising and approaching approximately 40 feet after what the village described as an unusual stretch of rain and severe weather this week, according to the post. Village officials are working with Prus Construction, the general contractor on the village’s Liberty Landing riverfront project, to monitor river forecasts and gauge elevations at the site.
Prus has coordinated with C&B Marine, its marine construction partner, which is prepared to mobilize to New Richmond and stage a work barge at the boat dock if conditions warrant, the village said.
Village officials and the project team said they will continue watching river levels and take whatever action is necessary to secure and protect the docks as conditions develop. The new docks represent an important investment in New Richmond’s riverfront, according to the post.
The docks are part of Liberty Landing, a $13.4 million riverfront redevelopment funded through Ohio’s Appalachian Community Grant program. In addition to the new marina, the project includes an elevated streetscape that widens Front Street by about 25 feet and adds pedestrian overlooks of the river. Prus Construction broke ground on the project last summer, with KZF Design serving as the project’s designer, and the work has been expected to wrap up this fall.
The stretch of river is tracked by the National Weather Service’s gauge at Meldahl Dam near New Richmond, where a reading of 49 feet marks the threshold for action and 51 feet marks minor flooding, according to the agency. Moderate flooding begins at 58 feet and major flooding at 64 feet.
The village said it will continue to provide updates if conditions change or if additional action becomes necessary.
The information contained in this story was obtained from Clermont County.