LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The federal government has called on New Albany to stop all work on the historic Glenmill Park Dam on Silver Creek.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a cease and desist order to the mayor.
Mayor Jeff Gahan signed a state of emergency and authorized emergency construction on the dam.
Indiana DNR filed a temporary restraining order on the project and said the city did not have the proper permits.
The Corps of Engineers called it an "unauthorized and unlawful activity."
They said it's illegal to discharge pollutants, like the fill New Albany was using, into water without permission.
They ordered the city remove the fill they've already placed, and submit restoration plans within the next 30 days.
In a statement released on Thursday, Gahan said they have been trying to find a solution to the dam for years.
"The City of New Albany and my administration have made dozens of attempts to gather all parties involved in this dispute to sit down at a table and discuss solutions that would benefit everyone, and every time, we have been refused," he said. "We even tried to get a court ordered mediation, and they still would not sit down at a table with us to discuss."
On Memorial Day weekend, 14-year-old Andre Edwards drowned at the dam. Gahan said he "was not going to have another person lose their life in our City because no one would take responsibility to solve this immediate public safety risk as identified by DNR."
You can read the mayor's full statement here.
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