AmerenUE reminds dock owners and dock builders at the Lake of the Ozarks that Dec. 31, 2008 is the deadline for replacement of all non-encapsulated foam flotation material with approved encapsulated floats. To ensure that its records are as accurate and up-to-date as possible before pursuing enforcement action, UE asks dock owners who were notified earlier this year that their docks were still not in compliance to send a Float Replacement Notice or direct confirmation that the flotation has been replaced.
“We are very encouraged by the lake community’s commitment to meeting the deadline,” says UE Shoreline Management Supervisor Jeff Green. “With over 95% compliance, it will make the task of enforcement for the remaining docks more manageable.”
Green says he is especially encouraged with the level of compliance, considering the current economic conditions.
“Meeting the deadline has been much more difficult for many of the dock owners who waited until the last year of the compliance period. We will continue to work with dock owners who wish to meet the deadline, but are experiencing unusual hardships, or are unable to meet the deadline due to dock builder schedules extending beyond the first of the year,” Green says.
He adds that it is extremely important for dock owners who have received notices to contact UE or file a Foam Replacement Notice to let UE know the status of the dock, including expected compliance dates for docks where work is currently taking place or is scheduled.
UE regulates docks, seawalls and other structures on the shoreline under provisions of its federal license for the operation of Bagnell Dam and the Osage Power Plant, which created the Lake of the Ozarks in 1931.
For many years, non-encapsulated foam flotation material that has broken away or has been discarded from boat docks has been the largest source of man-made debris in the lake. UE banned any new installation of non-encapsulated foam flotation in 1995, but did not require the immediate removal of existing foam if the flotation was still in good condition. Now, all non-complying flotation must be replaced with approved encapsulated floats by the final deadline of Dec. 31, 2008.
Dock owners can download the Foam Replacement Notice at www.ameren.com/LakeOzarks/ADC_FloatReplacement.pdf. The notice and more information about flotation requirements at the Lake of the Ozarks may also be obtained by visiting www.ameren.com/LakeOzarks, by calling Bryan Vance, UE’s Shoreline Field Coordinator, at 573-365-9252, or by calling UE’s shoreline office at 573-365-9212.
A subsidiary of St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation, AmerenUE serves 1.2 million electric and natural gas customers in a 24,000-square-mile area covering parts of north, central and eastern Missouri.
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CONTACT: Mike Cleary, 573.681.7137, of AmerenUE