River News
This article slipped by me during my usual searches.
posted by staff @ 8:18 AM
6 comments
Black River News
Archive of posts made between December 25, 2005 and December 14, 2008 about the Taum Sauk Reservoir failure and the damage to the Shut-Ins and the Black River. This blog was posted by Lee Ferber of Peola Valley Pottery in Lesterville. The pottery was closed in 2007.
6 Comments:
Here's another one. Notice how Ameren is deciding on when repairs are to be made.
This should be managed and paid by DNR, with reimbursement by Ameren--either out of a legal settlement or directly.
I cannot believe that DNR would allow a company to have such control. If the organization didn't have the money (which I doubt), they could have asked for it from FERC. After all that organization had ten million in windfall profits.
Shelley
DNR does not have the money without severely impacting the operations of the other 78 parks. When the flood of 93 forced major repairs to the Katy Trail, the rest of the system suffered greatly for many years and so it is here.
The reason Ameren/subcontrator has such control is purely based on money/politics--hence all the three point wrangling Blunt to Nixon to Childers.
Unfortunately with both state houses controlled by the same party as the governor, there is little recourse for the citizens interested in park stewardship, and less than zero recourse for employees who must do as they are told.
This is part of the problem of the state parks and DNR being under direct political control, and not a somewhat independent commission like the MDC. Only the parks and the people of Missouri suffer, not the politicians.
I agree with you about this department and how it should not be a political appointment. Outside of issues related to Taum Sauk and Johnson's, the effect of this is being felt elsewhere, and it's not a positive effect.
It makes no sense, though, for one of this state's major tourist attractions, to just blow off the work because of political infighting. If DNR does not have the funds, the state could have stepped in to provide emergency funds for this effort to allow this work to be accomplished, and then been reimbursed from legal settlements.
By giving Ameren such leverage, not only will Johnson's suffer, but so will the community, and ultimately the rest of the state.
Legal lawsuits of this nature can take years to work through the court system. I don't believe it should be rushed, because we're talking about an entity that has plans on re-building the same reservoir, not to mention plans to build more nuclear plants. We want to make sure that this company is going to be a whole lot better about safety in the future than they have been in the past.
What's confusing though, is who is funding and managing the river restoration work? Is work underway to repair the Ozark Trail section to allow that to continue through the state? Is it the building and infrastructure recommendations that are being held up? If so, and they haven't started, I don't see how the park will open next year, either.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch article did a poor job of covering this.
Shelley
PS In case DNR employees are reading this, when I'm critical of DNR it's primarily of Childers and the growing abuse of the department by the executive branch. I have nothing but admiration, and sympathy, for the 'rank and file' DNR employees, who joined the department because of love of the state and its resources.
Shelley
Shelley wrote: Is work underway to repair the Ozark Trail section to allow that to continue through the state?
Short answer: no.
Slightly longer answer: the park superintendent told me last month that trail isn't scheduled to reopen until the park reopens.
More involved answer: {deleted after a cooling-off period}
I'm very frustrated with this process and am trying to be positive. It's not easy.
Some of the river restoration is being coordinated through MDC, not DNR, since MDC is legally responsible for fish and fish habitat. This is one of the weird outfalls from the fact that DNR is responsible for non-living resources, and MDC is responsible for fish, forests and wildlife.
If I were constitutional god for a a day, I would put all natural resources and environmental responsibility under one agency.
The day after elephants fly, of course :)
I attended two of the DNR public meetings last year. Logically, one would expect Ameren to restore the damage they caused. Instead, various parties decided Ameren should pay for an entire rework of park infrastructure including much overdevelopment which is wanted by city people wishing to leave a legacy, but not wanted by people who believe parks should be minimally developed, and not turned into manicured estates or mini-Disneylands.
Whatever happens, I fear for this park and the surrounding area. It has so much natural potential, and everyone seems bound and determined to mess it over.
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