Wanna have fun? Read this to yourself in Paul Harveys voice. And now...the rest of the story. High a

Written: December 6, 2024

Wanna have fun? Read this to yourself in Paul Harveys voice.
And now...the rest of the story.
High atop Proffit Mountain in Missouri, nestled in the rugged terrain of the St. Francois range, there is an engineering marvel that defies logic at first glance. There are no rivers to greet it, no natural lakes to feed it. Yet there, standing proud, is a dam unlike any other--a reservoir in the sky.
This massive structure, a sheer testament to human ingenuity, was not carved by nature's hand but by man's determination. Completed in 1963, the original dam was a 90-foot-tall rockfill dike topped with concrete, forming an artificial basin. It wasn't built to tame a river or manage floods; it wasn't fed by springs or streams. Instead, its waters were lifted, as if by invisible hands, to reside in this lofty mountaintop cradle.
Locals admired it as a symbol of progress and power. It was silent most of the time, but when the water came rushing down the mountain, the air would fill with a roar that seemed almost alive.
For over 40 years, this elevated reservoir sat as a quiet sentinel, until one fateful December morning in 2005. Before dawn, something went terribly wrong. Water, with the unrelenting force of gravity, breached the dam. The reservoir gave way, releasing over a billion gallons of water in a cascading torrent that rushed down the mountainside.
The devastation was immediate and indiscriminate. Homes were swept away, forests torn apart. Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, a beloved destination, was obliterated by the deluge. Miraculously, there was no loss of human life. A family living at the park narrowly escaped, though not without injury. The once-pristine wilderness bore the scars of the flood for years to come.
Investigations revealed that a combination of human error and design flaws led to the failure. It was a humbling reminder of nature's unyielding laws, even for the most ambitious of human projects.
But this is not a story of failure. It is a story of resilience.
By 2010, the reservoir was reborn. Rising like a phoenix from the ruins, it was rebuilt using cutting-edge materials and techniques. Roller-compacted concrete formed the new dam, creating what is now the largest RCC dam in North America. Stronger. Smarter. More secure.
But still, the question lingers: why build a dam at the top of a mountain? Why construct such a monumental basin with no river to feed it? What purpose could such a peculiar structure possibly serve?
Ah, my friends, this is where the story takes a turn. You see, this mountaintop marvel is not just a dam; it is a battery.
The Taum Sauk Hydroelectric Power Station is one of the most ingenious energy storage systems in the world. Water is pumped from a lower reservoir to this elevated perch during times of low electricity demand--stored there, waiting. Then, when the grid is thirsty for power, the water is released back down the mountain, spinning turbines to generate electricity. It's a cycle as old as time: water flows, energy grows.
So next time you look at a dam, high and dry with no river in sight, remember: sometimes, what seems out of place is actually ahead of its time.
And now you know...the rest of the story.
Paul Harvey...good day.