Bright Lights In The Sky Around Lesterville!

[jdmidwest]

Driving home last night around the hills of Bunker Mo., I started noticing a new cluster of lights on top of a hill toward the East. At first I thought it was one of the lead mine complexes around Bixby but it was too far south. Between Centerville and Lesterville I realized it is the Taum Sauk upper lake project on Proffitt Mountain being rebuilt. On one stretch of road, you can see it well. There were a lot of Halogen job lights on top of the mountain lighting it up like a stadium. I assume they are working 24/7 rebuilding the damage caused by the breach 2 years ago. It really lights up the sky, last night it was bouncing off the cloud cover rolling in and you could see it up the valleys when you crossed the Black River and the road to the facility near Glover.

I was wondering why Ameren was spending so much money on that project then I realized the reason on Election Day. We passed the bill where utility companies will have to produce X amount of electricity from renewable resources by a certain year, I don't remember which one. The pumped storage facility will be a part of it. The only other means would be wind or hydro power.

The flood damaged the Johnson Shutins Park. They have spent the last 2 years rebuilding it. The new park is scheduled to open at the end of April 09 with new shower houses, maint. buildings, store, and gate houses. Most of the fill dirt that washed in will be cleared up. Trees will be replanted.

Just last week the Army Corps of Engineers announced a lawsuit against Ameren for filling up the upper portion of Clearwater Lake and diminishing the storage capacity of the lake.

It is amazing the power of a few billion gallons of water in a few minutes can do.