Description
Background
Taum Sauk is a pumped storage project located in Reynolds County, MO near the town of Lesterville. It is operated by AmerenUE.
The project was built in 1963 and received a FERC license in 1965. It consists of two reservoirs. The lower reservoir is formed by a dam on the East Fork Black River. The upper reservoir does not impound a river, but rather was formed by hollowing out the top of Proffit mountain and filling it with water.
The project, like all pumped-storage projects, uses more energy than it creates. Water is pumped from the lower reservoir to the upper one during off-peak hours and is then run through turbines back into the lower reservoir during times of peak power consumption. It is, however, highly profitable for for Ameren because of electric rate structures: power generated during periods of peak demand commands a much higher price than non-peak power.
Upper Reservoir Failure
On December 14, 2005, the upper reservoir failed when the water in the reservoir rose too high and overtopped its sides. More than a billion gallons of water exploded down the side of Proffit Mountain in the space of 25 minutes, flooding Johnson’s Shut-In State Park, toppling trees, injuring several people, and leaving a trail of debris in its wake. This water then flowed into the East Fork of the Black River, where it caused major environmental damage.
Ameren's Negligence
The reservoir had been overtopped at least twice: once in September 2005, and again when the dam failed on December 14, 2005. This extemely dangerous condition was caused in part because of faulty sensors that were leading Ameren to overfill the reservoirs. Even though Ameren was aware of these faulty sensors, the utility failed to repair them or notify FERC of their malfunction.
After the dam failure, an independent Board of Consultants Report and subsequent FERC documents determined that Ameren had been negligent. FERC fined Ameren $15 million, but the utility is not required by the terms of the settlement to admit fault.
Status
The project is currently not being operated, although FERC has (inexplicably, given Ameren's well-documented negligence and the fact that the project's current license will expire in 2010) approved Ameren's request to rebuild the upper reservoir under its current license.
Issues
Water Quality
Ameren did not meet minimum flow requirements in Taum Sauk Creek. Sediment created from dam breach is still affecting the area. Massive washouts resulting from the dam breach has affected wildlife.
Recreation
The project is located in the St Francois Mountains, one of the few mountainous areas in Missouri. The popular Johnson’s Shut-In State Park is located nearby, and a portion of the Taum Sauk Trail has been closed since dam failure.
Fisheries
(More information is needed)
Endangered Species
None.
Other Values
Very scenic area, home to many species.
Map
Milestones
News Related to Taum Sauk
Taum Sauk, Missouri: Rebuild a failed hydropower reservoir?
Last week was the deadline for comments on FERC's draft Environmental Assessment on the rebuilding of the Taum Sauk project's upper reservoir. In December 2005, the pumped storage hydroelectric project failed, sending more than one billions gallons of water into a popular state park.
Missouri's Taum Sauk Pumped Storage facility breaches; loses 1 billion gallons of water in 20 minutes
At 5:12am on December 14, 2005, the upper reservoir of the Taum Sauk Pumped Storage hydropower project breached.
The failure released one billion gallons of water - a weight of 8 billion pounds, and more than the entire City of St. Louis consumes in two days - over twenty minutes. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is covering the breach in depth.