As lake residents and property owners focus on cleanup, repair and replacement, AmerenUE warns persons involved in the cleanup that there are many hazards in and around damaged docks. To avoid electric shock, care should be taken to ensure that all structures are de-energized prior to accessing and working on them. Special care should also be taken to retrieve debris from docks and damaged boats and prevent the debris from getting into the lake. In addition, all debris and other materials removed from damaged docks must be taken to a properly licensed waste or recycling facility for disposal.
"AmerenUE recognizes the difficulties the storm damage has caused for dock owners, and will allow sufficient time for repair, removal or replacement of damaged docks without enforcing the 'derelict dock' provisions of its dock regulations," says AmerenUE Shoreline Supervisor Jeff Green.
Green says cleanup will not require formal permission from AmerenUE. However, to ensure that dock permit records remain up to date, Green says AmerenUE must be notified when an existing permitted dock is replaced.
A notification form can be obtained by contacting a Certified Dock Builder or AmerenUE.
A replacement dock must comply with current AmerenUE materials, flotation and anchoring standards, but will not require a new permit unless the dock is modified or expanded. Modification or expansion of damaged docks will require review and an approved Dock Modification Permit issued by AmerenUE.
AmerenUE requires that all dock construction, modifications or repairs at the Lake of the Ozarks must be performed by a Certified Dock Builder or the owner of the property where the structure is located. A list of Certified Dock Builders is available by contacting AmerenUE's Shoreline Management Office at 573-365-9208 or 573-365-9212. The list is also available online by visiting the Ameren Web site: www.ameren.com, and clicking on "Environment."
As the owner and operator of Bagnell Dam and the Osage Power Plant, which created the Lake of the Ozarks, AmerenUE is responsible for regulating docks, seawalls and other structures on the lake under provisions of its federal license for the dam and power plant.
AmerenUE is a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation. The Ameren companies serve 2.4 million electric customers and nearly one million natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area of Missouri and Illinois.
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