BARBERTON, Ohio — The drainage of Lake Dorothy Dam was the result of a damaged gate that was unable to be shut, resulting in loss of water, according to Mark Silvey, director communications of PPG Industries, which owns the lake.
The broken gate led to water being released to Hudson Run. PPG closed the bulkhead on Wednesday to stop the flow of water.
Silvey said crews are in the process of repairing damage to the gate.
For years, Barberton residents have dealt with flooding, with the most recent being in 2019 when homes and businesses were flooded multiple times. On Wednesday, Barberton officials said they were attempting to mitigate the flow to prevent flooding.
Barberton Mayor William Judge has been a life-long resident of the city and he said this is the first he's heard of a problem with the dam.
According to Judge, "PPG has been great" referring to repairs on the dam. PPG has worked with the city and with Norton to stop the flow of water.
As far as the mayor knows, no homes were flooded, however, an apartment building parking lot and some backyards were, he said.
The mayor said he notified New Franklin, Canal Fulton and Clinton Township officials that water had been release from the damn and could flow in their direction. So far, Barberton hasn't heard back from those communities to see if water had made it to their municipalities.
According to the Barberton Herald, Lake Dorothy was built in 1927 as a reservoir for PPG’s water needs. It was named after Dorothy Galt, daughter of engineer and industrialist Hugh Galt, a Scottish immigrant who laid out PPG’s Columbia Chemical operation.
RELATED: Flowing water at Lake Dorothy dam could cause flooding in Barberton
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