News Release No. 509

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES ISSUES ORDER
FOR STABILIZATION AT TAUM SAUK

Volume 33-509

Contact: Connie Patterson

(For immediate release)

573-751-1010

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, DEC. 19, 2005 -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources issued a formal order to AmerenUE yesterday based upon the department's concerns related to public safety, health and the environmental impact of the Taum Sauk Reservoir failure. Even though the State of Missouri had no regulatory oversight of the reservoir, as that is the exclusive purview of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the state is involved in the oversight of recovery efforts.

The order requires AmerenUE to take action under the department's oversight. AmerenUE must provide the department with a preliminary site assessment, including a report on plans to stabilize sediment at the site, by 3 p.m. on Dec. 19.

Since the incident occurred Dec. 14, the Department of Natural Resources has been on site, coordinating the response to the reservoir failure. The department's Environmental Emergency Response team determines what needs to be done and if the responsible party has the resources available to address immediate needs. The department has established a project office on site.

AmerenUE has contracted with MacTec to immediately address short-term issues at the site. The most immediate concerns are a need to stabilize sediment at the site and to address debris that has dammed the Black River, changing its flow.

MacTec will present its findings and recommendations to the Department of Natural Resources and to all state and federal agencies currently involved in the site assessment. Technical staff from the Missouri departments of Natural Resources, Conservation and Transportation, the Missouri Attorney General's Office, the U.S. Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and AmerenUE will discuss technical aspects of the immediate environmental stabilization.

A meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. tomorrow in the cafeteria at Lesterville High School, Highway 21 and Elm. This meeting is open to anyone interested in further discussion on recommendations for moving forward on immediate environmental stabilization.

There will be future meetings to discuss long-term restoration of Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park. These have not been scheduled at this time. Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park and the East Fork of the Black River were impacted by the 1.3 billion gallons of water that flooded part of Reynolds County last week.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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