State sets meetings on future of Shut-Ins

~ No camping will be allowed in the park this summer.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources wants public help to plan the recovery of Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park from the damage caused by December's reservoir collapse.

A series of open-house meetings will give people a chance to study preliminary plans for rebuilding park facilities that were damaged or destroyed when 1 billion gallons of water crashed down Profitt Mountain. The water from the AmerenUE reservoir destroyed a home in the Reynolds County park and the park campground.

Thousands of trees were swept up in the torrent, and a swath of Proffit Mountain was stripped of dirt and vegetation. While efforts to remove the debris have been going on for weeks, the time to think about rebuilding has come, state parks spokeswoman Sue Holst said.

"We will take comments, formulate options and then take them back out to the public and see what they think," Holst said.

The Division of State Parks has already decided there will be no camping in the park this summer, Holst said. A decision on whether the public will be allowed to do more than just view the damage during visits to the park will be decided later.

"What we are working toward is having interim visitors services in place by Memorial Day weekend," Holst said. "That may be a little different than what people expect at a normal state park. Once we know we can meet that goal, we will make an announcement."

Damage to the park is extensive in the areas most visited by tourists. A boardwalk leading to the shut-ins lost about 175 feet of guardrail when the water hit.

Any plan to reopen the park should aim to prevent additional damage by people coming to gawk, said Ron Coleman, president of the Missouri Parks Association.

"It will take nature many, many years or even decades to heal what has happened," Coleman said. "We don't feel it is a fixer-upper project."

Waters in the Black River still run murky, he noted, and the damage itself will be an attraction at first. "We hope the public will be patient enough to give the state enough opportunity to shape a good plan that will serve the longer interest of Johnsons Shut-Ins," he said.

Among the issues that will be discussed at the meetings will be a new location for the campground, repairing the damage to the Ozark Trail and safe access to the river.

After the meetings on the park, additional sessions will be held in Lesterville and St. Louis to discuss recovery of the Black River.

The reservoir at the top of Proffit Mountain was part of a hydroelectric plant operated by AmerenUE. Water was stored behind a small dam on the Black River and pumped to the top of the mountain. When electric demand was high, water was released through a tunnel in the mountain to power turbines.

The reservoir collapsed when instruments designed to measure water levels in the reservoir malfunctioned. Water flowed over the top of the reservoir, washing away the dirt and rock wall.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is studying how the malfunctions occurred and whether there was any inherent weaknesses in the power plant design.

In the Black River, rock and sand debris formed a dam that pushed the river out of its normal course. And despite efforts to eliminate silt in the water, the river remains clouded. Prior to the reservoir break, the water ran clear except after heavy rains.

"Sometimes it is a beautiful irridescent green," said Meoldy Gardner, manager of Bearcat Getaway, a camping, entertainment and floating center east of Lesterville. The Black River runs for a half-mile past the campgrounds property, she said.

"It is ususally a green or blue hue," she said. "But it is just not the crystal clear Black River we advertise."

When heavy rains came about two weeks ago, she said, large volumes of silt turned the water a chocolate brown.

Tourist businesses want the water restored to its past purity, she said. "It might not bother us this year because of all the looky-loos," she said. "We might have a wonderful year this year, and do no busines next year."

One hurdle for tourism businesses, she said, is convincing people that the damage was localized in the park. "We are fighting with everyone thinking we don't exist any more."

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126

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The Department of Natural Resources will hold a series of open-house meetings to discuss redevelopment plans for Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park. The meeting dates and places include:

* 4 to 7 p.m. April 3 at Lesterville High School, Highway 21 and Elm Street in Lesterville.

* 4 to 7 p.m. April 4 at Farmington High School cafeteria, 1 Black Knight Drive in Farmington.

* 4 to 7 p.m. April 5 at St. Louis County Library, Oak Bend Branch, 842 S. Holmes Ave.

The department will also hold meetings to discuss recovery of the Black River. Those meetings will be held immediately following the sessions on Johnson Shut-Ins on April 3 at Lesterville High School and April 5 at St. Louis County Library.

Comments are also being accepted through an online survey at www.mostateparks.com/ jshutinsdamage.htm.