Documents show Ameren's new dam safety chief didn't report problems with Taum Sauk reservoir

ST. LOUIS -- Ameren Corp.'s new dam safety chief was one of several managers who failed to tell federal regulators about critical problems at the Taum Sauk reservoir for months before the dam collapsed, documents show.

As Ameren's new chief dam safety engineer, Tom Hollenkamp will be the point man for reporting any safety problems at Ameren's hydroelectric plants to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

In October 2005, Hollenkamp and at least nine other Ameren employees were told in an e-mail about broken safety equipment at Taum Sauk in Southeast Missouri. The company did not comply with federal rules and report the problems to FERC, according to the agency.

Ameren created Hollenkamp's position as part of the largest civil settlement ever reached with FERC, which regulated Taum Sauk. The settlement includes a $15 million fine -- 30 times higher than the second largest fine ever levied by FERC.

Ameren spokesman Tim Fox defended Hollenkamp's actions regarding Taum Sauk. "A number of people were copied on the e-mail. Many of them, including Mr. Hollenkamp, were copied for informational purposes," Fox said.

Hollenkamp, a 28-year Ameren veteran, will lead a team of 10 engineers who will inspect Ameren's hydroelectric plants and update the company's safety training procedures, Fox said.

Hollenkamp will have the authority to shut down any Ameren hydroelectric plant if there is a safety concern. Hollenkamp could not be interviewed, Fox said.

FERC spokesman Celeste Miller said in an e-mail Wednesday the agency didn't choose Hollenkamp for the job, but declined interview requests concerning the creation of Hollenkamp's position.

If Ameren had heeded its own internal warnings about Taum Sauk, the reservoir would not have overflowed and breached Dec. 14, FERC chairman Joseph Kelliher said at a news conference Monday.

The resulting flood injured a family of five and destroyed much of the Johnson's Shut-ins State Park. It was only a matter of luck that no one died, Kelliher said.

The mountaintop reservoir was filled with water at night and emptied during the day to generate electricity. Automatic controls and gauges were broken at Taum Sauk and caused it overflow, according to FERC.

On Oct. 7, 2005, Taum Sauk superintendent Richard Cooper sent an e-mail notifying Hollenkamp and at least nine other Ameren employees that broken water gauges at Taum Sauk could cause it to overflow.

Ameren violated FERC rules when it didn't inform the agency that the gauges were broken, according to the settlement.

Ameren Vice President Mark Birk, who also received the e-mail, told the AP last spring that Ameren didn't close the Taum Sauk plant in October 2005 because he and other managers thought temporary fixes were enough to ensure safety at the reservoir.

Hollenkamp has already put in place a new monitoring plan that will include surprise inspections of Ameren's dams, Fox said.

Hollenkamp's new position addresses concerns raised in Ameren's own Taum Sauk investigation conducted by independent engineer Paul C. Rizzo.

The report said it was a potential conflict for supervisors like Cooper to be responsible for safety while they also had to worry about other plant operations.

E-mails suggest that Cooper and others at Taum Sauk considered economic concerns when it came to shutting down the hydroelectric plant. Taum Sauk was a profitable plant for Ameren.

Fox said Hollenkamp will be free from operational concerns at the hydroelectric plants.

"We have this additional position to be a double-check for the plant superintendent," Fox said in an e-mail. "The dam safety engineer position is solely focused on ensuring the integrity of dams at our facilities."

Ameren operates three hydroelectric plants: Taum Sauk; the Keokuk Plant in Keokuk, Iowa; and the Osage Plant in Lakeside, Mo., that includes Bagnell Dam.

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On the Net:

Ameren Corp.: www.ameren.com

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: www.ferc.gov