By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – The Missouri Department of Natural Resources Tuesday said it has sent Ameren a proposed settlement over the breach of a hydroelectric reservoir.
The accident at the company's Taum Sauk plant a year ago severely flooded Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park near Lesterville.
DNR Deputy Director Kurt Schaefer said details of the proposal remain confidential.
But he said the agency still wants Ameren to give up two assets in the area, Church Mountain and a stretch of the old Rock Island Railroad.
"There are recreational opportunities associated with those things that may be a better form of compensation to the citizens of the state of Missouri for the recreational loss," Schaefer said.
Schaefer said the railroad and mountain are not all the DNR is seeking but he would not elaborate.
In a statement, Ameren says it has received the proposal and is interested in resolving the matter.
Attorney General Jay Nixon is still considering criminal charges.