MEETING MINUETS 2006         Nov,20

LOWA minutes 11/20/06 Public Library of Versailles

Meeting was called to order at 6:35 pm by Donna Swall, Executive Director. About 53 people in attendance.

 

The minutes from the 10/16/06 meeting in Camdenton were summarized by Caroline Toole, Recording Secretary. A motion to accept the minutes was made by Christy Fera and seconded by Madeline Hutton Harrell.

Getting a Pump-Out Program going is one short term goal for LOWA and getting all waste waters in the Lake of the Ozarks watershed monitored is a long term priority with LOWA being the oversite/general coordinating group a possibility.

Also, important to keep Low Impact Development on a front burner and coordinate efforts with developers to keep the Lake aesthetically pleasing and improved.

Lake safety is a major issue. Boat size and speed is a major worry among Lake residents and users. Captain Matt Walz of the Water Patrol spoke about big boats and said the Water Patrol would be glad to work with the Safety group. Capt. Walz spoke about rumors over boat size regulations. The Water Patrol would like to work with a MO State Senator and Representative to help sponsor a bill to require boats to be at least 100 feet away from docks if moving above idle speed, with boats over 30 feet required to be at least 300 feet from docks is moving above idle speed. Cruiser wakes are getting huge and someone could get hurt or killed if swept off of a dock or out of a boat. Some coves may end up becoming all idle speed/no wake for large boats. However, there is a need to be careful about regulations concerning boat size because of impact on jobs and businesses.

The Water Patrol would also like to see a bill to make 0.08 blood alcohol to be the maximum level for on the water just as it is for driving on land. Jet skis are already regulated. It is mandatory for anyone born after Jan 1, 1984 to have passed a boating safety course and jet skis fall under this requirement. There was comment and concern from those attending this Versailles meeting that the upper part of the Lake of the Ozarks by Truman dam is quite different from the lower part of the Lake by Bagnell dam, especially concerning the depth of the Lake and the coves in that area. A cove may apply to be a no wake area and then all boats must be in idle if within 150 feet, regardless of buoys.

In fact, said Capt. Walz, the Lake is getting cluttered with buoys. Need regulations to address no wake/idle speed areas. Need to publicize more what laws and regulations are already on the books. Every boat is responsible, civilly, for its wake, but criminally in another matter and it’s hard to prove in the courts whose wake was responsible for exactly which damage.

Most tickets from the Water Patrol are written on the 100 feet from docks law. Personal water craft need to stay 50 feet from boats when above idle speed. There were 10 fatalities on the Lake last summer. Two of the ten were from crowdedness. Seven of the ten were linked to alcohol. Water Patrol currently has 22 officers and could use 25-30 optimally.

Some tips from the Water Patrol are: take valuables out of your boat, mark your property, know your serial numbers, and lock up.

The Safety Committee is working with bars, etc for a designated boat driver program, as well as other LOWA outreach projects such as safety tips on coasters with the LOWA logo.

Larry Shafer is the LOWA web site coordinator and is still modifying, upgrading, putting in links, and working towards a website that will be a resource for schools, media, and citizens concerned about the state of the Lake of the Ozarks. The LOWA website will also have information on the separate committees, maps of the watershed of the Lake of the Ozarks, and how the watersheds fit together. Larry is still open to suggestions and anyone interested should go to the LOWA website at www.soslowa.org and click on Larry. Everyone should feel free to go to the website, explore, and comment with ideas and suggestions.

Jeff Green from Ameren spoke about Ameren’s new Revised Shoreline Management Plan. FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission delegates authority to Ameren to generate electricity. The “Project Boundary” is Ameren’s property line and brings with it certain responsibilities to keep the Lake healthy in every respect. Generally speaking, elevation 662 at the lower lake and 674 in the upper lake is the boundary line with a Lake level maintained at around 654 in the winter and 659 in the summer. So Ameren has a very narrow actual band of land along the shore that is not under water. With a license to generate power comes the management of the shoreline. Ameren began in 2001 to identify people and agencies to help with the development of the Shoreline Management Plan. Permits are needed for any structure below the project boundary.

FERC requires a shoreline management plan which should set a vision. In the plan would be an analysis of the permit regulations and community projects like the shoreline clean up. First Ameren must get a license to generate power from FERC and then a shoreline management plan is written. Ameren is doing both at the same time.

Impact Minimization Zones – IMZ’s – have been phased out. New plan has RPG’s – Resource Protection Areas – includes wetlands, endangered species, cultural areas and other areas already covered by existing regulations. Ameren was urged to zone the entire shoreline in order to protect certain fishery nursery areas, wetlands, cultural sites, aesthetically beautiful sites, etc, but felt other agencies could do that better. IMZ’s have been removed and existing regulations will still address needed issues adequately. Docks are also out of the plan. There are still sensitive areas where no seawalls are permitted. Dredging is still prohibited and there are still resource protections in the plan. Heads of coves are still protected as fish nursery areas and state regulations still protect cultural sites. Wetlands are still protected under other regulations, too. A vegetative buffer policy is still in effect and there is still no seawalls in these areas. If you take off all the trees, they must be replaced in the same size that was removed, and developers and land owners must still replace the surface with some form of vegetation.

FERC is still very concerned about development at the Lake of the Ozarks and balances anti-development sentiments with those that are pro-development. FERC is also studying much about the environment around the Lake of the Ozarks. And a final environmental assessment must be written before Ameren gets its license to generate power renewed. Then, Ameren will submit its Shoreline Management Plan.

In the last plan, Benton Co had 88% of the IMZ’s. Can Ameren build in sedimentation/construction regulations about Low Impact Development (LID). Answer: yes. They do try to point developers to MO DNR for Land Disturbance Permits (required when > 1 acre.) People can always go to FERC with comments about Ameren. The Shoreline Management Plan gets reevaluated in 5 years and then every 10 years.

In areas with < 2 ½ feet of erosion, rip rap is recommended instead of seawalls.

RPG’s concern wetland areas. The National Wetland Inventory Map was used for an initial survey of where wetland areas around the Lake are but then Corps of Engineers went out to check exactly where the wetlands were. Then, as people apply for permits, Ameren can see if their project will impact a wetland or not. In designating areas wetlands, soil types and plant types are analyzed to see if they are wetland types. Following are some questions from the audience and answers from Jeff Green.

Are there regulations for marinas and their pollution, one citizen asked. Yes.

Is there a map showing where pump-out stations, etc are for boaters? No – good project for LOWA.

Who to call if suspect an issue with endangered species? DNR in Warsaw

Who to tell about non-compliance like derelict or falling apart docks, non-permitted structures, dumping, etc? Ameren. Compliance is addressed in the new Plan. Ameren spends about $50,000 per year cleaning up old abandoned docks. Call Ameren about non-permitted docks, encroachment issues, dock regulations and set back requirements.

Any incentives for vegetative buffers? Will be required to replace vegetation along the shore in the new plan.

LOWA’s next meeting will be a holiday celebration at Tan-Tar-A on Dec 11 at 6:30 in the Crystal Ballroom. Bring a White Elephant (the most outrageous thing you can find at the lowest price) for a gift exchange game. Please Wrap , but do not put a name on gift.

Respectfully submitted by Caroline Toole, LOWA Recording Secretary.