The Web site can be accessed directly at www.ameren.com/taumsauk
Featured on the site is a link titled "Community Bulletin Board," with announcements of public meetings and other communications; photos of the work in progress, including pictures of the lower reservoir before and after the Jan. 25-27 application of materials to clear the water; general background on the plant and the Dec. 14 breach; and links to other helpful sites, including the Web sites of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The Ameren restoration Web site also allows visitors to register to receive e- mail notifications whenever new material is added.
"This Web site is just another channel to keep the public in the local area updated on the work we are doing to help restore the park and protect their business interests," says Ameren Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Rainwater. "It will also allow us to reach people outside the area who want to know the status of the park's restoration."
"We are grateful for the community's support, patience and understanding as the restoration process continues," says Rainwater. "We want to get the job done quickly as possible, but we also want to do it right."
BACKGROUND:
On Dec. 14 the AmerenUE Taum Sauk Plant experienced a breach in the upper reservoir that caused flooding in the Johnson's 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.
# # #