Taum Sauk Updates				December 13, 2006
Taum Sauk: One Year Later
AmerenUE Employees, Contractors and Others Note Significant Progress in Restoration Efforts, Community Support
Almost immediately after the Dec. 14, 2005, failure of the upper reservoir at AmerenUE’s pumped-storage Taum Sauk hydroelectric plant, more than 100 Ameren staff, temporary employees, employees of the environmental remediation firm MACTEC and others have removed tons of soil and hundreds of felled trees while performing countless other tasks to restore Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park and support the Taum Sauk area.    Often working seven-day weeks, these dedicated people used heavy equipment, shovels, vacuum devices and their hands to remove 11,000 truckloads of sand and mulch from the park. As a result of their efforts, the park was opened for limited day use over Memorial Day weekend, 2006.    But that’s just the beginning. Here are some other highlights of this unprecedented restoration effort:
	Initially, crews cleaned the cemetery and repaired its rail fence, cleared the campground and paved areas within the park, and cut a notch in the rock dam to help drain the lake that was created at the base of the valley in the river channel.
	Crews then rebuilt walkways and cleaned up campground buildings and other facilities.
	Since Dec. 15, 2005, crews have removed nearly 15,000 truckloads of material, from the site, including 1,748 truck loads of woody debris, 3,926 truck loads of mulch and rock and 8,416 truck loads of silt.
	To restore the “fen”—a unique and sensitive forested wetlands with distinct features and vegetation—crews literally removed debris and silt by hand. Other crews used vacuum devices to remove silt from open areas.
	The campground area has now been graded and seeded, the camp store has been restored, and the boardwalks have been repaired.
Another important goal of the restoration has been improving water quality downstream. Some steps taken to achieve that goal:
	AmerenUE lowered the water level of the six-acre lake formed by the force of the water coming down the mountain to ensure that any future rains did not cause additional flooding within the park.
	The company then conducted additional grading activities within the park and constructed overflow channels to prevent fine particles from re-entering the river. Areas within the park were stabilized and seeded to prevent on-going erosion.
	AmerenUE also restored the capacity of the Bin Wall to trap silt and reduce the silt flow into the Black River by removing over 80,000 cubic yards of material from the river.
	In January, just six weeks after the breach, AmerenUE administered a one-time treatment of the lower reservoir with flocculates—alums that helped settle suspended particles out of water and allowed a portion of the clay to be removed from the Black River.
	After the treatment of the Lower Reservoir, the water level was lowered to approximately 736 feet in an attempt to remove in-stream silt by using high natural water flows to flush the river.
	In July, AmerenUE began to temporarily drain the lower reservoir to remove all exposed sediments. As part of this effort, the company pumped the East Fork of the Black River around the reservoir to provide a clean source of water downstream.
	Also in July, AmerenUE and MACTEC began rescuing fish from the lower reservoir. By Aug. 1, more than 2,500 game fish had been rescued, including largemouth bass, channel catfish, redear sunfish and other species.
	Dead fish were salvaged, with some taken to the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis to be used as a food source for eagles, hawks and owls. Other fish were removed from the water and placed on the mud flats to dry and be used by scavengers. Animals like bald eagles, herons, raccoons, mink and other scavengers removed as much as 80 percent of the fish. Remaining fish were buried to prevent water pollution.
	During this project, AmerenUE used hydroseeding, a buffer and silt fencing to stabilize the areas of the reservoir’s exposed sediment not subject to immediate excavation.
	Due to fall rains, AmerenUE is now dredging to remove the remaining materials in the reservoir behind the dam. This operation is expected to continue into January.
	We are now working with the state agencies on plans to refill the reservoir in 2007. AmerenUE will also continue working with the state agencies to remove remaining materials from the park and the shut-ins, as well as work on restoring a more natural river channel through the park. A number of alternatives have been reviewed for cleaning up the lower Black River below the dam, and we are working with state agencies on an acceptable approach.
AmerenUE also recognizes that restoring the Shut-Ins is only part of our commitment to the areas affected by the Dec. 14 breach. We also have a commitment to restoring and maintaining the economic health of the region:
	Following a meeting with local business people, AmerenUE established a claims process and claims office for businesses that may have been affected by the breach.
	Other meetings led to AmerenUE’s launch of an aggressive advertising campaign to promote the area. Newspaper and Web site advertising in the St. Louis, Springfield, Kansas City and Belleville, Ill., areas delivered a clear message: Many businesses and recreational attractions were unaffected by the flooding and are open for business!
	Our advertising has also promoted a new Web site, created by AmerenUE, that offers contact information for everything from canoe rentals to ice cream parlors. The site, www.experienceblackriver.com, has now been upgraded to include business and attractions maps, as well as an easy way for businesses and other attractions to add information about upcoming events.
	In addition, AmerenUE continues to update its own dedicated Web site― www.ameren.com/taumsauk. The Ameren restoration Web site allows visitors to register to receive e-mail notifications whenever new material is added.
	AmerenUE also funded the design and printing of several area maps that were provided to businesses and distributed by the Mountain Echo newspaper to support tourism.
	Most recently, AmerenUE has put in place a procedure for collecting recommendations from the community for the $5 million the company has placed in escrow for projects that enhance economic development and quality of life, protect the environment, or develop or promote educational and/or recreational opportunities in the area.
Finally, AmerenUE is obligated to continue to exploring rebuild options and pursuing a path that would allow the Taum Sauk Plant to become operational again, once the company is assured that all safety, economic and regulatory considerations support doing so:
	In March, AmerenUE began implementing a Safety Stabilization Plan to establish safe slopes in the breached area and a safe working area along the top of the dike. The concrete parapet wall panels were removed, access roads rebuilt, a new road ramp added, exposed rebar and concrete debris removed, and a cover and hatch for the vertical shaft that carries water back and forth between the lower and upper reservoirs installed.
	AmerenUE now has 95 percent complete plans for rebuilding the upper reservoir according to Rizzo and Associates’ proposed “roller compacted concrete” design and is seeking indicative bids to help determine the cost of rebuilding, should the company choose to do so.
	Currently, AmerenUE is testing the feasibility of using rock from the existing reservoir walls to make concrete for use in a roller compacted concrete berm. During the test, AmerenUE transported the rock offsite to a commercial quarry operator, where it was crushed to design specifications. Once delivered back to the site, it was mixed with cement, fly ash and water to produce concrete. AmerenUE then constructed concrete pads to test the feasibility of the Roller Compacted Concrete Mix Design Program developed to rebuild the Taum Sauk upper reservoir.
AmerenUE wishes to express its heartfelt thanks to the communities surrounding the park, to the many local workers who have provided their knowledge and skills, and to the many state agencies and local officials who have worked side-by-side with company employees and the contracting firm of MACTEC in the ongoing effort to restore Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park.