Bagnell Dam spill gates expected to open early next week

Ameren Missouri officials said Friday the utility could open its spill gates at Bagnell Dam as early as Saturday to release floodwater, but expects to increase releases early next week in coordination with the Army Corps of Engineers.

Phillip Thompson, an Osage Plant manager with Ameren, said Bagnell Dam, located at the Lake of the Ozarks, matches its releases with Truman Dam.

“When they reduce the flow, we reduce the flow,” Thomeson said.

He said the goal is to remove the floodwater from the Truman reservoir to make room for more water. Bagnell Dam empties into the Osage River, and Ameren warns the releases might cause flooding along the river.

“Residents should watch water levels and shut off electricity if it gets close to their dock, ” Thomeson said.

He said people with weekend lake houses should turn off power before they leave town in case water does rise.

Ameren advises dock owners to have slack in cables to make sure cables won’t break if water rises.

High releases at Truman Dam and Bagnell Dam can increase the power of the current at the Lake of the Ozarks and boaters should stay aware, Thomeson said.

The utility said this week it might have to increase the outflow from Bagnell Dam to 85,000 cubic feet per second, more than double what can pass through the dam’s electricity-generating turbines.

Osage County authorities said the Truman reservoir level crested last week after heavy rains inundated the area. The Army Corps of Engineers increased releases from the reservoir to ease the strain on the dam.

Corps officials said on a conference call Friday that they want to increase releases from Truman more but plan to wait until flooding goes down more on the Missouri River. The reservoir was near capacity Friday, according to the Corps.

Osage County officials said Osage River levels were falling after Missouri River floodwaters overtopped one levee and breached another in Callaway County, relieving flooding upstream on the Osage, which is a Missouri River tributary. However, they cautioned river levels might rise again as releases from the lake enter the river.

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