Why does it need to be stopped?

Lower Quality of Drinking Water:

This project puts 25,000+ people and 500,000+ animals at risk of losing access to water. Water bills will be much higher due to filtration that would be required to remove suspended particles. Water company's intake pipes will be covered by sediment from constantly moving water caused by this hydroelectric dam.

The cost to water companies would be in the millions due to repair needed as a result of sedimentation. This will result in significantly higher water prices and/or reduced water availability.

Loss of Recreation and Habitat:

There would be significant fish death due to permanent habitat disruption, stirred sediment, and suspended particles in the water resulting from this project. This would introduce zebra mussels to new locations, with the potential to contaminate waters, streams, and dugouts via the spillway that would need to be built to support the pumped storage system. Ice fishing would no longer be safe on the river due to constant water fluctuations.

Gregory County would lose beautiful scenery along the river due to the large powerhouse, transmission lines, access roads, maintenance warehouse, and switch yard. Campgrounds would be highly sought-after during construction, then abandoned when churning water becomes unfit for recreational activities. This would cost our local economy several million dollars annually.

Loss of Personal Property:

Residents affected by the Gregory County Pumped Storage Project stand to lose 3500 acres of productive farm ground, that would be FORCEFULLY taken from their rightful owners. The projected loss is $35 million dollars.

The feeding area for 60,000 head of livestock would be lost. The projected loss would be over $100 million dollars.

A total of twelve housing and farm sites would be lost, along with families being displaced and left jobless. The projected lost would be $6-10 million dollars.

Fifty-three (53) or more individual landowners/operators, businesses and home owners would be affected in some way. The loss could not be projected as this is priceless- there are generations of historical memories destroyed, with no chance of future generations able to continue a legacy.

Community Impact:

All generated power would leave the area impacted by this project.

A leak or breech in this system will flood communities.

Eminent domain is an abuse of land for private gain. This will not stop with this project! Expansion will follow with wind towers, solar farms, and more.

It will affect long term ground water availability as this project assumes that the local soils tie directly inot the Ogallala Aquifer.

The river is the sole source of water supply for all of Charles Mix & Douglas counties. Tripp County Water User District gets all of its water from underground sources.

Who is going to ensure a safe and adequate water supply continues?

Follow this link to learn more about a previous failed pump storage project:

https://damfailures.org/case-study/taum-sauk-dam-missouri-2005/