Update: According to a Lake News Online article, as of December 15th, 2017 Trooper Piercy has been terminated from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Trooper Anthony Piercy was sentenced today to 10 days in the Morgan County jail and two years supervised probation for a misdemeanor boating violation, negligent operation of a vessel, that involved the drowning of a 20 year old Iowa man in 2014. Piercy avoided an involuntary manslaughter trial by pleading guilty to the lesser offense. The misdemeanor Piercy faced carried a maximum sentence of up to six months in jail, and a $500 fine.
The full article from the Kansas City Star is here.
Yes, I have an opinion, but I will not be expressing it here. Suffice to say, I was taught as a boy by my Grandfather, a member of the Power Squadron and Coast Guard Auxiliary, and later as an adult by the U.S. Coast Guard, that the captain of a vessel is ultimately responsible for the life and well being of anyone on their boat. Period.
Beyond that, words fail me.
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Making a Dam Heavier
The Summer of 2017 is rapidly coming to a close but work continues on Bagnell Dam. I'm sure everyone has noticed the cranes, cement trucks, and workmen busily making the structural improvements outlined by Ameren in March. This $52 million dollar project will enhance the structural integrity of the dam, something not done since the 1980s. Improvements to energy production efficiencies has been fairly steady over the years, but actual structural work has not been performed in some time. One notable exception. Ameren renewed their license to operate Bagnell Dam in 2007 after years of stakeholder input and millions of dollars spent to comply with many regulations. It was about this time I noticed new concrete at the Eastern(? it always feel more like Northern to me) entrance. This relatively small addition is sandwiched between the Eastern abutment and the cliffside near it and presumably added to stabilize the abutment itself(East and West abutments are the "solid" parts of the dam that have no spillways). Update - I've just noticed some new forms on this structure now, an indication more concrete will be added to it as well.
The work being done now is the addition of new concrete and 68 more "anchors". These new anchors are not meant to replace the 277 nine inch steel rods that were installed in the 1980s (a 2009 article from Connectmidmissouri.com quotes Alan Sullivan, an engineer for Ameren, as saying there were actually "over 300" holes drilled) but to reinforce them. While the original anchors were installed vertically, effectively increasing the downward force of the dam and increasing the frictional forces keeping the dam in place (Bagnell is a gravity dam), the new anchors will provide both vertical and horizontal force components.
Here is a drawing provided by Ameren:
The concrete work is a little less clear, but Ameren states they will be adding 66 million pounds to the basic structure, spillways, and top section. All which will add more weight and again create more downward force on the bedrock.
The work being done now is the addition of new concrete and 68 more "anchors". These new anchors are not meant to replace the 277 nine inch steel rods that were installed in the 1980s (a 2009 article from Connectmidmissouri.com quotes Alan Sullivan, an engineer for Ameren, as saying there were actually "over 300" holes drilled) but to reinforce them. While the original anchors were installed vertically, effectively increasing the downward force of the dam and increasing the frictional forces keeping the dam in place (Bagnell is a gravity dam), the new anchors will provide both vertical and horizontal force components.
Here is a drawing provided by Ameren:
The concrete work is a little less clear, but Ameren states they will be adding 66 million pounds to the basic structure, spillways, and top section. All which will add more weight and again create more downward force on the bedrock.
Monday, August 21, 2017
Solar Eclipse 2024
Did you miss the eclipse, or regret not making the pilgrimage to somewhere to see totality? Well, don't worry, there's another opportunity on April 8th, 2024. The lake area will probably be in the 70% of totality range, not quite as much as yesterday's, but a quick trip down to Southeast Missouri is all you need to get in the path of totality. I'm thinking of being on one of the many beautiful rivers such as the Current or Eleven Point for the next one. Poplar Bluff looks to be on the path of totality. Better make your reservations now! Other major cities seem to be Austin Texas and Little Rock, Arkansas. These are both great cities and should be very festive. I imagine rooms are already being booked.
The 2024 event will also be a total solar eclipse, with the major difference being where totality will peak, it's longest duration and sharpest contrast. This will occur in central Mexico in 2024, but Missouri should have a fine show again.
The 2024 event will also be a total solar eclipse, with the major difference being where totality will peak, it's longest duration and sharpest contrast. This will occur in central Mexico in 2024, but Missouri should have a fine show again.
Friday, August 04, 2017
Happy Birthday to the U.S. Coast Guard!
The oldest military service of the United States turns 227 years old this month. I've been a little harsh on the Coast Guard lately in regards to Lake of the Ozarks, so let me make some amends by saying Happy Birthday to what I consider the finest branch of the military this country has ever produced. Certainly not the most lethal, but that isn't their mission, which is why I was proud to have served. Saving lives, protecting our country, and ensuring free commerce along our waterways is just as important as projecting force abroad. Any damn fool can pull a trigger, but it takes something a bit more to put your ass on the line to save another.
From Alaska to Key West Florida, and on three separate ships, my four years were probably the most memorable years of my life. To the great men and women I served with, and those that serve today, a heartfelt salute.
Oh...
To the U.S. Navy.... Phhhht!
To the U.S. Army...... Phhhht!
To the U.S. Air Force.... Phhhht!
To the U.S. Marines.... You guys are great! Remember D-day!
All in good fun lads. You know we're all in this together.
Semper Paratus!
 |
| U.S.C.G.C Eagle and escort. Did you know she was originally a Nazi ship? Yep. You can just make it out in the picture but on her prow remains the nautical figurehead of the Nazi Party Eagle, called Parteiadler ("Party's Eagle"), and where it once clutched a swastika, it now clings to the shield of the U.S. Coast Guard. The spoils of war. |
From Alaska to Key West Florida, and on three separate ships, my four years were probably the most memorable years of my life. To the great men and women I served with, and those that serve today, a heartfelt salute.
Oh...
To the U.S. Navy.... Phhhht!
To the U.S. Army...... Phhhht!
To the U.S. Air Force.... Phhhht!
To the U.S. Marines.... You guys are great! Remember D-day!
All in good fun lads. You know we're all in this together.
Semper Paratus!
Thursday, August 03, 2017
July 2017 Lake Levels and Flow Rates
A very typical July chart with start and ending levels almost exactly at the 5 year average with power generation coinciding nicely with temperature demands for energy. I'm sure this helped keep levels at full pool despite the modest lack of rain. Boring, but I like boring when it comes to this data. It means things are predictable and orderly.
One more month of peak summer to go. Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Governor's Veto Keeps Boat Railing Laws In Place
On July 14th, Missouri Governor Eric Greitens vetoed Senate Bill 65 which would have exempted certain boats from railing requirements for passengers riding on specific areas when underway(moving), namely gunwales (the top edge of the sides of a boat), bow tops, sundecks and seats. The law would have exempted jet driven and older boats.
The Governor's veto means the current law, stated below, remains.
"306.126. Motorboats, regulations as to passenger seating while under way — person in water, flag required, when — slow speed required, when — penalty. — 1. The operator of a motorboat shall not allow any person to ride or sit on the gunwales, decking over the bow, railing, top of seat back or decking over the back of the motorboat while under way, unless such person is inboard of adequate guards or railing provided on the motorboat to prevent a passenger from being lost overboard. As used in this section, the term "adequate guards railing" means guards or railings having a height parameter of at least six inches but not more than eighteen inches. Nothing in this section shall be construed to mean that passengers or other persons aboard a motorboat cannot occupy the decking over the bow of the boat to moor it to a mooring buoy or to cast off from such a buoy, or for any other necessary purpose. The provisions of this section shall not apply to vessels propelled by sail."
This will probably not come as welcome news to those who like idling around party cove, but this is after all about safety. So what would SB65 have changed? The statute would have been replaced with the exact same language except for the last line which would have added some exceptions beyond sailboats.
"The provisions of this section shall not apply to vessels propelled by sail, outboard jet motors, or vessels not originally manufactured with adequate guards or railing."
In his veto letter the Governor cited "unintended consequences" of the change in the language since the statute would have included all Missouri state waterways and his concern was specifically how it would have affected boating on the Lake of the Ozarks. The bill was put forth by Missouri State Senator Dave Schatz from the 26th District which covers an area that includes the Meramec River. The Senator is also from Sullivan Missouri which is one of the last major towns people pass through on their way to the Current River. River tourism is a good part of that areas income revenue. It's a safe assumption that what the Senator was trying to achieve was a change in the law to allow river runners more latitude regarding where people could sit while in smaller, slower, jet driven river boats. You won't see many river running jet boats with railing on them and people love riding on the bow down there (me too!). Whether another attempt is made to change the law with more specific language is unknown.
The Governor's veto means the current law, stated below, remains.
"306.126. Motorboats, regulations as to passenger seating while under way — person in water, flag required, when — slow speed required, when — penalty. — 1. The operator of a motorboat shall not allow any person to ride or sit on the gunwales, decking over the bow, railing, top of seat back or decking over the back of the motorboat while under way, unless such person is inboard of adequate guards or railing provided on the motorboat to prevent a passenger from being lost overboard. As used in this section, the term "adequate guards railing" means guards or railings having a height parameter of at least six inches but not more than eighteen inches. Nothing in this section shall be construed to mean that passengers or other persons aboard a motorboat cannot occupy the decking over the bow of the boat to moor it to a mooring buoy or to cast off from such a buoy, or for any other necessary purpose. The provisions of this section shall not apply to vessels propelled by sail."
This will probably not come as welcome news to those who like idling around party cove, but this is after all about safety. So what would SB65 have changed? The statute would have been replaced with the exact same language except for the last line which would have added some exceptions beyond sailboats.
"The provisions of this section shall not apply to vessels propelled by sail, outboard jet motors, or vessels not originally manufactured with adequate guards or railing."
In his veto letter the Governor cited "unintended consequences" of the change in the language since the statute would have included all Missouri state waterways and his concern was specifically how it would have affected boating on the Lake of the Ozarks. The bill was put forth by Missouri State Senator Dave Schatz from the 26th District which covers an area that includes the Meramec River. The Senator is also from Sullivan Missouri which is one of the last major towns people pass through on their way to the Current River. River tourism is a good part of that areas income revenue. It's a safe assumption that what the Senator was trying to achieve was a change in the law to allow river runners more latitude regarding where people could sit while in smaller, slower, jet driven river boats. You won't see many river running jet boats with railing on them and people love riding on the bow down there (me too!). Whether another attempt is made to change the law with more specific language is unknown.
Friday, June 23, 2017
Coast Guard Confusion
“The Lake of the Ozarks is one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the United States according to Coast Guard boating statistics..." - Captain Martin L. Malloy UMR Sector Commander, U.S.C.G as reported on LakeExpo.com June 20th, 2017
The article I'm referring to above showed up on LakeExpo.com on June 20th, breathlessly reported over the presence of the U.S. Coast Guard on the Lake of the Ozarks last weekend. While I have no beef with LakeExpo in particular, I'm a little peeved at the contents of the article. Lake Expo has, as others have done in the past, promoted the idea that the U.S. Coast Guard has jurisdiction on the Lake of the Ozarks because it is considered a "navigable" waterway.
2018 UPDATE: I've recently had a very nice conversation with the Public Affairs Office of the U.S.C.G regarding their jurisdiction on the Lake of the Ozarks. It would seem, my opinion is in error as far as they are officially concerned and that they indeed have complete authority on the lake as a law enforcement agency. Which raises many questions. I'll be posting about this conversation and the reasoning behind their position regarding jurisdiction and authority soon and provide a link here.
The Lake of the Ozarks is NOT considered a "navigable" body of water. Although it meets the common sense notion of what a navigable body of water is (in fact it's extremely navigable!), the label "navigable" is assigned to waterways by the U.S. Congress under its commerce powers, and thus determines which federal agency has maritime authority over it. But I've discussed this all before while this line of crap continues to be used to justify the presence of the Coast Guard on the lake. The Coast Guard's enforcement authority is very limited here. This is why there's usually a Missouri State Water Patrol boat right along side of them to do any real law enforcement. The MSWP is THE primary law enforcement authority on the Lake of the Ozarks. The Coast Guard doesn't show up periodically just to make sure they're doing a swell job enforcing laws.
But the real reason for this particular rant is what the commander of the Upper Mississippi River Sector was quoted saying about the Lake of the Ozarks, “The Lake of the Ozarks is one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the United States according to Coast Guard boating statistics."
If Lake Expo has accurately quoted Captain Malloy, then he's not reading his own reports. Yeah, this guy. I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but he needs to read his own damn reports.
I assume Malloy is citing the annual Coast Guard Recreational Boating Statistics report as the source of his assessment, but this report has never supported such a dubious claim. Granted, the report is at the state level and does not single out specific waterways, but I've been analyzing this report and it's relation to Water Patrol reported accidents on the Lake of the Ozarks for many years now, going back to 2004. While stories abound of injury or even death in the media, there is no statistical evidence to indicate the lake is any more (or less for that matter) dangerous than any other body of water in Missouri. You can read my analysis with a link to the latest CG report for yourself here. Maybe my analysis is wrong, some assumptions must be made, but there is nothing in the report that points here saying, "Yep, that's a fairly dangerous lake you got there!".
I'm a Coast Guard veteran, and proud to have served, so I have no ax to grind with the Coast Guard (okay maybe with officer types since I was enlisted) but this nonsense needs to stop. Captain Malloy's comment is inaccurate and possibly self aggrandizing. The popularity of the Lake of the Ozarks is only growing and that guarantees a lot of press when bad things do happen, but to get an official statement from the sector commander of the Coast Guard that it is one of the most dangerous lakes in the country is either willfully ignorant, or a thinly veiled attempt to promote Coast Guard presence in the area. Let's be clear, the Coast Guard is not relevant on the Lake of the Ozarks except to promote safety, affirm proper vessel documentation (Coast Guard registered vessels only!), and help herd boats during firework displays and racing events. Their resources are better spent on other waterways where their law enforcement authority has real teeth, rather than trying to look like the big dog pissing in the tall weeds in our backyard.
The article I'm referring to above showed up on LakeExpo.com on June 20th, breathlessly reported over the presence of the U.S. Coast Guard on the Lake of the Ozarks last weekend. While I have no beef with LakeExpo in particular, I'm a little peeved at the contents of the article. Lake Expo has, as others have done in the past, promoted the idea that the U.S. Coast Guard has jurisdiction on the Lake of the Ozarks because it is considered a "navigable" waterway.
2018 UPDATE: I've recently had a very nice conversation with the Public Affairs Office of the U.S.C.G regarding their jurisdiction on the Lake of the Ozarks. It would seem, my opinion is in error as far as they are officially concerned and that they indeed have complete authority on the lake as a law enforcement agency. Which raises many questions. I'll be posting about this conversation and the reasoning behind their position regarding jurisdiction and authority soon and provide a link here.
The Lake of the Ozarks is NOT considered a "navigable" body of water. Although it meets the common sense notion of what a navigable body of water is (in fact it's extremely navigable!), the label "navigable" is assigned to waterways by the U.S. Congress under its commerce powers, and thus determines which federal agency has maritime authority over it. But I've discussed this all before while this line of crap continues to be used to justify the presence of the Coast Guard on the lake. The Coast Guard's enforcement authority is very limited here. This is why there's usually a Missouri State Water Patrol boat right along side of them to do any real law enforcement. The MSWP is THE primary law enforcement authority on the Lake of the Ozarks. The Coast Guard doesn't show up periodically just to make sure they're doing a swell job enforcing laws.
But the real reason for this particular rant is what the commander of the Upper Mississippi River Sector was quoted saying about the Lake of the Ozarks, “The Lake of the Ozarks is one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the United States according to Coast Guard boating statistics."
If Lake Expo has accurately quoted Captain Malloy, then he's not reading his own reports. Yeah, this guy. I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but he needs to read his own damn reports.
I assume Malloy is citing the annual Coast Guard Recreational Boating Statistics report as the source of his assessment, but this report has never supported such a dubious claim. Granted, the report is at the state level and does not single out specific waterways, but I've been analyzing this report and it's relation to Water Patrol reported accidents on the Lake of the Ozarks for many years now, going back to 2004. While stories abound of injury or even death in the media, there is no statistical evidence to indicate the lake is any more (or less for that matter) dangerous than any other body of water in Missouri. You can read my analysis with a link to the latest CG report for yourself here. Maybe my analysis is wrong, some assumptions must be made, but there is nothing in the report that points here saying, "Yep, that's a fairly dangerous lake you got there!".
I'm a Coast Guard veteran, and proud to have served, so I have no ax to grind with the Coast Guard (okay maybe with officer types since I was enlisted) but this nonsense needs to stop. Captain Malloy's comment is inaccurate and possibly self aggrandizing. The popularity of the Lake of the Ozarks is only growing and that guarantees a lot of press when bad things do happen, but to get an official statement from the sector commander of the Coast Guard that it is one of the most dangerous lakes in the country is either willfully ignorant, or a thinly veiled attempt to promote Coast Guard presence in the area. Let's be clear, the Coast Guard is not relevant on the Lake of the Ozarks except to promote safety, affirm proper vessel documentation (Coast Guard registered vessels only!), and help herd boats during firework displays and racing events. Their resources are better spent on other waterways where their law enforcement authority has real teeth, rather than trying to look like the big dog pissing in the tall weeds in our backyard.
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