Flooding not cause of lock break at Markland Dam on Ohio River

State College, Pa. -- 28 September 2009 -- AccuWeather.com reports the water levels were not at flood stage during the Sunday lock break at the Markland Dam on the Ohio River.

Tailwater levels Sunday morning were around 21 feet, less than half the flood stage amount, according to NOAA. Louisville, Ky. has reported 5.91 inches of rain so far this month, well above normal rainfall for the entire month of September.

On Sunday barge and shipping traffic was put to a halt when a lock broke at the Markland Locks and Dam, a concrete dam bridge that connects Indiana to Kentucky and is a landmark on the Ohio River.

According to CNN, a public policy organization gave the lock a "D" rating last year. The lock was scheduled for renovations in 2011, according to an Army Corps of Engineers spokesman.