Conservation News
AmerenUE, MDC cross legal swords over fish kill responsibility
JEFFERSON CITY -- In a move that took conservation officials by surprise, AmerenUE has filed an action in federal court to limit its liability for a 45-day- long fish kill at Bagnell Dam on the Osage River. Today, the Missouri Department of
Conservation (MDC) said it had little choice but to file a state claim in the Miller County Circuit Court for the loss to Missouri's resources.
The fish kill started May 23, when Ameren began releasing water from the dam, which creates Lake of the Ozarks. High-velocity water killed 43,937 fish valued at $3,255,580.
More than 20 fish species were affected, but the rare species known as paddlefish suffered most dramatically. Paddlefish accounted for $3, 224,307 of the total loss.
Bagnell and Truman dams hamper natural paddlefish reproduction by blocking the fish's spawning migrations. The Conservation Department rears paddlefish artificially in hatcheries to maintain the population.
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