ST. LOUIS, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- AmerenUE today began using
flocculates -- alums and a buffering agent that cause suspended particles to
settle out of water -- to remove suspended clay from the Taum Sauk lower
reservoir. This is a major step toward clearing the muddy appearance of the
lower reservoir and water releases into the East Fork of the Black River.
Today's activities are part of an implementation plan the Missouri
Department of Natural Resources approved Jan. 20, after analyzing the
materials and approach and determining that they pose no threat to humans,
wildlife or aquatic life. Alums are commonly used to treat drinking water.
The initiative is part of a multi-pronged company and state effort to
restore the river and the Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, following the Dec. 14
failure of AmerenUE's Taum Sauk Hydroelectric Plant upper reservoir that
caused massive flooding.
The company expects to complete the application over the next three days
and to proceed with each only during daylight and reasonable weather
conditions.
This morning, a crew on a specially designed boat fitted with surface
application spray bars began applying alums evenly over a 60-foot-wide path.
Dual, 65-horsepower hydraulic motors power the 24-foot boat, and the depth and
speed of the vessel are computer-monitored to maintain uniform dose; however,
the vessel is also is equipped with redundant, manually operated systems.
Operators navigate with a specially modified differential satellite global
positioning system. During each application, a visual plot shows on a
computer screen the areas where the flocculates have been applied. The
accuracy of this system is within three feet of the desired path.
Computer-based readings help operators calculate the rate of flocculate
delivery at any moment during the application. For each trip, the computer
records the average water depth, the path length, the amount of material
distributed and the area treated so the project can be continuously monitored.
Scientists will be testing water in the reservoir and all released water
immediately downstream of the reservoir for dissolved oxygen, alkalinity,
turbidity, the condition of all aquatic life and other characteristics.
"We expect to see the water clear up within approximately 12 to 18 hours
after application," says Michael L. Menne, AmerenUE vice president for
Environmental, Safety and Health. "We appreciate the support of the Department
of Natural Resources throughout this process. Clearly our shared goal is to
prevent more sediment from entering the Black River and any bodies of water
feeding into the Black River -- both to protect aquatic life and to return the
Black River to its former clarity."
After the water treatment, AmerenUE will begin lowering the water level of
the reservoir in an attempt to further remove sediment deposited in the Black
River.
BACKGROUND:
On Dec. 14 the AmerenUE Taum Sauk Plant experienced a breach in the upper
reservoir that caused flooding in the Johnson Shut-ins and resulted in the
closing of one road. The plant's 1.5-billion-gallon upper reservoir
experienced a rupture in the northwest corner causing water to flow downward.
The company implemented its emergency plan and assembled a multi-disciplinary
team of experts, company officials and consultants to analyze the event and
determine next steps.
Built in 1963, AmerenUE's Taum Sauk is a "pumped-storage" hydroelectric
plant. It stores water from the Black River in the upper reservoir, built
atop 1,590-foot-high Proffit Mountain, and releases the water to generate
electricity when power is needed. The plant employs 12. The water flows down
a mile-long tunnel inside the mountain, turning turbine-generators to produce
electricity. When power demand is low, the same turbines run in reverse to
pump water back to the upper reservoir.
AmerenUE is a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation. Ameren
companies serve 2.3 million electric customers and 900,000 natural gas
customers in a 64,000-square-mile area of Missouri and Illinois.
SOURCE AmerenUE
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Related links:
http://www.ameren.com
CONTACT:
Susan Gallagher for AmerenUE, +1-314-554-2175
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