Mayor Says ATV Riders Damaging Levee in Kentucky

An eastern Kentucky mayor says ATV riders are cutting ruts into a levee and possibly putting a city in danger of flooding.

Middlesboro Mayor Bill Kelley says the use of four-wheelers on the levee that keeps Bennett Fork out of the city could allow high water to breach the levee.

The levee, part of the Middlesboro Flood Protection Project, is maintained by the U.S. Corps of Engineers. Corps spokesman Dave Robinson told The Daily News in Middlesboro that foot traffic is fine, but ATVs can do damage. ATVs are currently prohibited on the levee.

Robinson says riders can be cited to federal court in London, Ky.