Dam Break in Southeast Missouri

Mike T., Swampeast MO

All children out of hospital and doing fine.

Latest news is that more than one worker told management that there were severe problems weeks before the disaster.

Unusual settlement and erosion in the area that collapsed.

A known faulty fluid pressure sensor that was giving erroneously low water level readings--the settings were intentionally "fudged" in an attempt to compensate. Inspectors now believe that the reservoir was being overtopped daily prior to the collapse. Overtopping was an absolute no-no--everyone knew this and [seemed] to know that it might occur or even be occurring.

No humans to observe/watch the nightly filling (nearly to the brim) of a 1.5 billion gallon bathtub. Just one known faulty sensor...

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Sure looks like an accident waiting to happen. Peak demand hydroelectric reservoir near the highest point in the state.

About 80 miles WNW of here on the Black River. Fortunately there's a big lake and heavy-duty dam about 20 miles south...

Just saw that three counties to the south of the big lake/dam (Clearwater Lake/Dam) I mentioned are under a flood watch. There's a second, lower reservoir near the site of the break and while holding, it's very stressed. While supposedly not a "real" concern, there's a chance that if the second reservoir lets loose it might cause "stress" on Clearwater as well.

Clearwater dam is one of the big three flood control projects that helped much of the real swamp out of "Swampeast MO".

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Update

Break occurred before daylight and nobody has seen the water since--only the path of destruction including one of our most popular and beautiful state parks, Johnson Shut-ins.

Amazing that the official word is, "We're waiting to see what happens as noone knows where the [1.5 billion gallons est.] water has gone."

Brian (Tankless)

It evaporated, then

a big north wind blew it down here :O)

It's as dark as night right now, and torrentially raining for only the 2nd time since Rita.

The thunder & lightning are scaring the poop out of my not-so-butch dog, Butch.

1.5 billion gallons, and they can't find it ??? Sink-hole?

Aren't you on the New Madrid fault line....underground caves maybe?

I heard that the Mississippi flowed backwards in the past. You might just have some humongous subterranean caverns around there.

Keep us updated Mike.

Brian in Swampland, really

Mike T., Swampeast MO

There honestly are LOTS of big caverns and incredible underground aquifers in the area. Big Springs (highest flowing spring in the world) is nearby.

Overcast and low ceiling so they're having a hard time looking from the air. Sparsely populated and rough (by Missouri standards) terrain in that area.

I'm virtually on top of the New Madrid fault here in Cape Girardeau, and don't believe it heads west towards that area.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

They now estimate one billion gallons came through the breech.

That's enough to cover 3,069 acres of land with one foot of water...

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Here's some good, concise info on fault and the earthquake that caused the Mississippi to flow backwards:

New Madrid Fault Zone

Brian (Tankless)

Uneasy feelings here, Mike.

There's something unusual going on. You might want to relocate to South Louisiana, where all we have to contend with, are HURRICANES & TWISTERS

Thanks for that hugely informative link to "going backwards".

Definitely "Swampy" now, 2" in the last two hours.

Just as well my dog likes to swim

Later, let's know what's happening.

Brian.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Same uneasy feelings here. Timing and relationship to energy infrastructure are sure curious.

Such a failure of a modern dam without seeming cause or warning seems exceptionally rare if not unpresidented. I pray it's the result of poor monitoring and some lousy low-bid private engineering/construction.

scott inM.E.

If you hike

in New Hampshire there are some smaller Mtns. and peaks named after residents who lived on the sides of these Mtns. and died in avalanches over 100 years ago. There is no way I would live 50 miles in any town were this thing was above us. Like New Orleans, I could not live were the ocean is higher than your front yard and a monster lake is well above your back yard.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Further Update

Utility company spokesman says the suspected cause is equipment failure that allowed the reservoir to overfill.

There was some rain, but only around 0.1 inch this morning. There was probably some snowmelt yesterday but only for a light snow days before.

Reservoir lining was replaced last year.

Timco

Any updated pics? Must be an amazing site to see that thing empty!

T

Mike T., Swampeast MO

There's a shot on some news web sites and also the local news with the reservoir nearly empty, but no breach in the wall. Have a feeling that's a "file" photo.

Local news did show a clip "as close as they were allowed to get". HUGE HOLE. They said "from the top to the bottom and over 100' across".

You might try the KFVS Website but their server seems to be just as swamped as when the Mississippi River bridge demolition failed spectacularly.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Flood watches for the area south of Clearwater Dam allowed to expire.

Bob W._3

The TV story was interesting. Where did the water go? Must be a lot of sinkholes in that part of the country. Pretty country from what I could see. Hot and humid most of the year?

S Ebels

Maybe related to

Those natural gas geysers that have erupted from the ground in Oklahoma in the past week. That's a pretty wierd situation there too. The news said there were no pipelines within about 3 miles of the geysers. Natural gas and water just suddenly spewing up out of the ground can't be considered normal. Maybe that's where your water went Mike.

leo g_13

Hmmm,

about 2-3 months ago, read a similiar account of a lake "disapearing" somewhere around Russia. Gone in the night. The main theory was a huge sink hole/tunnel, that ran to the nearest river. This is a strange time to be living in.....

Leo G

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Guy_6

Society

Two words: Lowest Bidder.

ishmael2k

Pumped storage

You guys are missing a part of the picture, this is NOT a dam it is a pumped storage facility. Different animal completely.

We have one about 20 miles north of me, they are used as a large hydro-battery. Pump them full at low demand times and release the water through the turbines at high demand.

So it wasn't rain or snow melt that flooded it, from what I have read it was a faulty sensor that allowed the pumps to overfill the facility.

Kind of like a faulty water feed on a boiler....

Mike T., Swampeast MO

The news being circulated suggests that the problem was indeed lousy low-bidding contractors with inadequate construction oversight. The owner (Union Electric) always claimed the berms/dikes or whatever you want to call them had a core of heavy granite boulders. Instead they found only soil and small rocks of mixed origin in the massive (600' or so) section that collapsed.

Nobody saw the incident occur as it seems everything is automated. Supposedly the lift pumps overfilled the reservoir and safeties that were supposed 1) not allow it to happen in the first place and 2) immediately shut down in the event of an overfill failed.

Utility company (Ameren merged with Union Electric) will be held fully responsible for all damages. Supposedly Johnson Shut-ins State Park is virtually destroyed and the incident created an unintended dam and lake in one of the branches of the Black River.

This is the same utility company (Ameren UE) that is expected to announce record profits this year and eliminate a few hundred jobs very soon. (Saw this little fact in a St. Louis paper--the local papers are far-right and probably applaud the move). Perhaps they already let the watchmen whose job it was to verify that the safeties were actually working were already eliminated... Seems kind of foolish to trust 1.5 billion gallons in a giant earth bathtub on top of a mountain to a couple "sensors".

Of course you know who will actually pay for this mess. The customers--including me. First thing they should do is eliminate executive bonuses but we all know that won't happen since they've made great profits by "cost cutting"...

Bob W._3

How are the three children of the state park super doing? They were originally listed in critical condition.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

All alive. Believe they're still in the hospital and expected to recover fully. There hasn't been any further bad news about the children so that usually means they'll be OK.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Two more words: Corporate Costcutting

S Ebels

Good Grief !!!

And they make us put a redundant high limit on boilers for cryin' out loud!!!! Where's the redundant safety in that scenario.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

No idea. That's a synopsis of what I read in the local paper. No mention of any backup pressure sensor whatsoever. Previous articles did mention another sensor that ensured filling occurred only when intended. Why do I bet that an actual human watchman was deemed "redundant"?

Dave DeFord_2

Two more words..

Shareholder return

The Wire Nut

And two more...

Clean houses

(as in "both")

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Latest Update

Governor has directed the attorney general to file the appropriate "criminal or civil charges".

Utility company is "shocked" as they've "already accepted responsibility for the incident".

Very same company who lobbied hardest for the conservation penalizing rate changes.

Too bad they supply both my electricity and natural gas--in addition to the repairs and restoration I'll be helping to pay for defense lawyers.

Will be interesting to see just how far this goes...

The Wire Nut

Exxon Valdez redux...

I'm sure they will be slapped with a heavy fine "to set an example" perhaps right around election time?

Then it will be reversed in appeal by some non "judicial activist" judge who, perhaps, is needing some re-election help?

Corporate irresponsibility is cheaper now that our politicians are so openely corruptm and the public is so easily distracted by "issues"... Like, perhaps, who Brad Pitt is sleeping with now....

Just a thought...

Alex