Clay in the Lower Reservoir

Ameren has taken core samples from various points in the Lower Reservoir and has found from one foot to four feet of clay deposited on the bottom of the reservoir. They are applying for permission to lower the level of the lake and remove this clay. They think that this work would take about 12 weeks to complete. So the question is do they start as soon as possible, wait until the dry season starts in late May, or wait until Fall after the tourist season. At the meeting on Thusday night a show of hands from the crowd showed we were pretty evenly split between now and Fall. I was in the Fall camp. I don't know what type of equipment they would use to remove the clay and I don't understand what they would do with the water that normally flows into the Lower Reservoir from the Shut-Ins, but they did say that there are going to be days that the river below Lesterville will look terrible. I'm still waiting to see how much last weeks flood helped clean the river at the Lodge. Stay Tuned.