By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – This Thursday marks a year since a hydroelectric reservoir broke and flooded a state park south of St. Louis.
The breach at Ameren's Taum Sauk plant sent more than a billion gallons of water into the Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, causing severe damage.
Sue Holst with the Department of Natural Resources says much of the mud and debris has been removed, and long-term plans include a complete redevelopment of the park. "We need to decide where we put the campground, and where we put visitors' services," Holst said, in an interview. "And during the summer, we held a series of public meeting to get input from the public and to show them proposals."
However, Holst says plenty of work still remains on the East Fork of the Black River. She says the thick layer of mud is gone, and some of the park's rare wetland plants have grown back.
The park opened on a limited basis this year, so visitors could see the damage. But whether that happens again next year depends on the work schedule.
"If there's major construction going on, we probably will not be able to allow that," Holst added. "But it's a little too soon to tell, because we're not sure what stage we're going to be in by the summer of 2007."
Much of the work on the river depends on a settlement between the state and Ameren-which owns the reservoir.
A spokesman says Attorney General Jay Nixon is still investigating both civil and criminal penalties.