By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission says Ameren could have repaired broken instruments at the Taum Sauk reservoir before it collapsed in December, but didn't schedule repairs to be done until spring.
In a report released today, FERC's staff says Ameren knew for months that gauges were broken at the reservoir, making it difficult to determine how much water was in the basin.
Those instruments led to faulty readings when the reservoir overflowed
and collapsed, damaging a state park and injuring a family of five.
FERC says Ameren never told federal regulators about the problems.
The Commission says its findings must be evaluated by an outside panel of
experts before the final analysis is released this summer.