Penstock under construction at downstream end of project
Project Related

Threading the Needle through an Olympic Venue

The Fitzsimmons Creek run-of-river hydroelectric project consisted of a number of geotechnical challenges for design team member Golder Associates. The project site is in British Columbia’s Coastal Mountains, and ran adjacent to the bobsleigh (or […]

Failures

$180 Million Settlement in Reservoir Failure

On December 14, 2005, the upper reservoir of the Taum Sauk pumped storage plant, a hydroelectric power plant in the Missouri Ozarks, suffered a catastrophic failure. The resulting flood severely damaged the Jonhson’s Shut-Ins State Park and swept away the park superintendent and his family. Fortunately all of them survived. (Photos by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and USGS)

Last week, the Missouri Attorney General’s office announced a settlement of $180 million between the facility’s owner, Ameren Corp. The failure reportedly was a result of negligence on the part of the company. More details after the break.

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