Taum Sauk Dam Failure December 15th, 2005

Overtopping water at the AmerenUE's Taum Sauk Upper Storage Facility caused a massive dam failure during the pre-dawn hours of December 14th, 2005. More than a billion gallons of water rushed down Profit Mountain and overwhelmed the east fork of the Black River and the lower ground of Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park. It swept the park superintendent's home and family at least a quarter-mile away and caused damage to several vehicles that were swept from Highway N into an adjacent field. According to local calculations, the flow of the water at the time would have been nearly 150,000 cubic feet per second, which is the equivalent of the Mississippi River flowing at 7 feet in St. Louis. Fortunately, the lower reservoir captured most of the overflow water, limiting the effects of the dam break down stream. Shortly after the dam break, authorities notified the National Weather Service, and flash flood warnings were issued for locations in the path of the flood waters. Some residents were alerted through NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards and headed for higher ground. The National Weather Service sent down an assessment team, and according to their observations, the water level was at least 20 feet high as the wall of flood water passed through Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park. Fortunately, it was the middle of December and no campers were using the Missouri State Park. Several injuries were reported, which included the park superintendent's family, but miraculously, no fatalities occurred from this dam break.

Includes 4 pages of photos.