By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Investigators say a backup warning system did not prevent the Taum Sauk reservoir collapse because Ameren employees effectively disabled the set of alarms.
Ameren employees told Missouri Highway Patrol investigators that the so-called 'Warrick Probes' were raised up so high that water never touched them in December, 2005 when the reservoir overfilled and collapsed.
The probes were set on top of the mountaintop reservoir. They were designed to shut the plant down and prevent an overflow if water ever reached the probes.
But the highway patrol report says Ameren employees raised the probes so the reservoir could be filled to a high level and generate as much electricity as possible.
Ameren did not comment on the Highway Patrol report.