Warrick County surveyor warns Ayrshire slurry dam poses flood and public-safety risk; agencies have not responded

Warrick County Surveyor Dennis (last name not specified) told the commissioners the Ayrshire Mine slurry dam is "poorly constructed and unstable, threatening the safety of Warrick and neighboring counties, people, infrastructure, and economies." He urged the county to press state and federal agencies for help, saying he has documented what he sees in frequent field inspections and has taken visiting officials to the site.

Dennis described the structure as a high-hazard Class C dam containing an estimated 22,000,000 cubic yards of fine coal slurry and refuse. He said the mass of material is forcing the creek bank outward, that trees and root wads have been pushed into the channel and that earlier repairs had been required. "I'm seeing signs of impending failure," he said, adding he has taken "32…