While people across the country celebrate the return of water to reservoirs depleted by drought, one reservoir was overfull. Barren River Lake in Kentucky set records for depth in April after the state experienced a season of severe weather and flooding, WCLU reported.
What's happening?
On April 7, Barren River Lake set a record, reaching the deepest water level it had ever achieved at 583.6 feet mean sea level. It kept rising from there and peaked April 16-17 at 586.04 feet.
"For context, normal summer pool at Barren River Lake is 552 MSL and the Spillway Crest is 590 MSL," the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said, per WCLU. "We do not anticipate spillway flow."
It's not surprising that the reservoir has surpassed its previous marks. Kentucky was plagued by storms and flooding in the early months of 2025, with a double-digit death toll and widespread evacuations. All that water has filled the reservoir along with other local water sources.
The difference in depth at the reservoir also makes for a difference in width. At its normal summer depth, it covers about 10,000 acres of area. But now, it makes up roughly 18,655 acres.
Why does this extra water matter?
An overfull reservoir is just one manifestation of the extreme weather that the United States, and the entire world, has been experiencing in recent years. As human-caused air pollution has trapped heat in our atmosphere and raised Earth's temperature, the climate has become less stable and severe weather more likely. That includes both droughts and storms — sometimes affecting different areas and sometimes following one after another.
All these disasters have been dangerous and even deadly for people and also unhealthy for nature, impacting a wide range of habitats and species.
What can I do about extreme weather?
The only solution to the change in the climate is to address the pollution problems that are causing it. Individuals can help by switching to an electric car and cutting back on plastic, but the most impactful choice you can make is to vote for policymakers who will regulate the largest polluters — major corporations — so that they can no longer continue to damage our shared environment.
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