Rural Missouri - September 2023 - 17

A blue heron keeps a sharp eye out for fish while perched on the dam. Although Sho-Me Power plans to shut down the plant, the dam will remain.
However, by the end of 1923, no real work had been
completed. No power had been delivered to Lebanon, so
the city cancelled its contract. The Missouri Water Power
Co. sold its interests in the unfinished project to the Central
States Power and Light Corp., parent company for the
Missouri Electric Power Co. They would employ the Management
and Engineering Corp. to complete the job.
A huge force of men and machines were hauled to the
site. An entire village, dubbed White City, was built on the
rocky ridge to house the workers. Tons of rock to form the
dam were blasted from hillside quarries. A concrete plant
was constructed. A cable car was built to move men and
the generators down the steep slope to the powerhouse. On
the other side, a chute delivered concrete for the dam.
The cave idea was abandoned. Instead, hard rock miners
were brought in to blast a 13-foot-tall tunnel 830 feet
long through the ridge. At the same time workers built a
dam 24 feet in height and 300 feet long. The dam formed
Lake Niangua, which extends 2 1/4 miles up the river and
covers about 360 acres at normal pool.
In two years of backbreaking labor, the Niangua Hydroelectric
Project, better known locally as Tunnel Dam,
began generating electricity for the Missouri Electric Power
Co., which served around 40 small towns in Missouri. It
became property of Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative
when the transmission co-op bought most of the assets of
the power company in December 1943.
In operation, water from the lake drops 40 feet while
passing through the tunnel and into the powerhouse on
the other side of the ridge. Here it drives two 7-foot water
wheels, which in turn power two Allis-Chalmers vertical
generators rated at 1.875 megawatts each.
Originally the plant had three employees who operated
it. The radio used to communicate with Sho-Me's offices
became a lifeline for local residents in the days before
phone service. In the late 1960s, Sho-Me Power converted
the plant to remote operation.
Today, 93 years later, Tunnel Dam continues to generate
electricity for electric co-op members. But that will end
soon. In June 2023, Sho-Me began the process of shutting
down the plant.
" Sho-Me has determined that it is no longer economically
viable to operate the project for a new license term,
which would last 30 to 40 years, " says John Richards,
CEO of Sho-Me Power. " Therefore, Sho-Me no longer
intends to seek a new license for the project. As such,
Sho-Me is in the process of surrendering the license and
ceasing generation of power, while keeping the dam, Lake
Niangua and associated project facilities in place and open
to the public for enjoyment. "
He adds that the dam is safe and in good condition.
Sho-Me will continue to own, monitor and maintain the
dam to the same level it has historically.
It's not that the project no longer functions, or that the
power it generates is no longer needed by electric co-op
members. The issue is the small amount of water available
for generation. The dam typically provides less than
one-tenth of 1% of Sho-Me's energy requirements. The rest
comes from Associated Electric Cooperative in Springfield.
News that the dam and lake would remain were well
received by anglers attending public meetings held by ShoMe.
The dam site is a popular recreation
area for those willing to make the drive
down rugged gravel roads.
Sho-Me Power's good-neighbor
policy provides access not only to the
lake but also to the river below the
dam and at the powerhouse. That
will continue, as long as water
flows downstream.
Camdenton
SEPTEMBER 2023 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 17
http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP
Rural Missouri - September 2023

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