The Ohio River runs south between Metropolis Il. and Paducah
Ky. The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant is located in western Kentucky,
10 miles west of the City of Paducah. The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion
Plant, operated by the United States Enrichment Corporation, a subsidiary
of USEC Inc., is the only operating uranium enrichment facility in the
United States. The soil around the plant is not healthy and has been known
to invade underground water sources.
Across the river at Joppa Il. is a concrete Mfg. and
loading facility. If you have ever held powdered concrete in your hand
you know that it generates a heat and can burn you severely.
Down river above Olmsted Il. is Lock and Dam # 53. A
friend who worked for USACE told me that in a study to build Olmsted Dam
they put a stainless steal plate at the bottom of the river with a cable
tied to the bank for retrieval. When they came back the following year
they lifted the cable and realized that their cable had chemically disappeared.
The river is so chemically volatile there that Olmsted Dam is not complete
because steel below the water will not last.
They have tested a wicket type dam across the river from
Smithland Lock and Dam. The wickets tested were made of composite materials.
As of 2002 they were still in place at the Smithland facility.
