By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@thecitizennews.com

While the rest of Fayette County is praying for rain, Neil Davis is hoping the drought will last just a little bit longer.

Davis is pumping water away from the 153-year-old dam on Lake Bennett so Brent Scarbrough and Co. can repair the dam, and any large amount of rain would make the project much more difficult.

“We had a little rain yesterday,” Davis said this week, “and I was just afraid we were going to have to start all over. I'm just hoping it'll hold off for awhile.”

The historic, picturesque dam and lake are central features of the Olde Mill Steakhouse, the restored mill restaurant that Davis and his wife Kay own.

When similar drought conditions caused the lake to run dry last year, residents of the Crystal Lake subdivision that surrounds the lake wanted to know why, and experts argued about whether leaks in the dam were the main problem, or whether construction or other problems upstream were stopping the flow of water on Whitewater Creek, which feeds the lake.

A series of beaver dams were cleared away about the same time that rains increased and the lake filled back up.

This year, when the lake level began to drop, Davis met with homeowners in Crystal Lake, and all agreed that repairs to the dam have to be done.

“We've been in a long drought, but the lake went down so much faster this time than I've ever seen before,” said homeowner Maurice Alexander, adding he has lived on the lake for 13 years. “It was clear the dam had to be repaired.”

Homeowners anted up about $30,000 to get the project started, and Davis hired Scarbrough and Company to do the work.

Company president Brent Scarbrough said he hopes to have the work completed by the end of this week. It could cost as much as $75,000, he added.

Workers are digging below the base on the dam on both sides, pumping expanding fill material on the south side and building a concrete seal on the north side, to stop leaks.