G6-Pumped Storage Reservoirs–(Approaching) – 02

Life moves slowly in Lesterville, Missouri. Lesterville is a small town located about 90 miles south of St. Louis. The people of Lesterville wake up each morning like everyone else. They brush their teeth, eat breakfast, and go about their daily life. Many do not notice or realize they live near an engineering first. Sitting atop Mt. Proffit is a man-made lake. This man-made lake is not just a typical hole in ground. It is special because of its unusual water source.

Most lakes form when a nearby river or stream is dammed or blocked. Some lakes can form when freshly melted glacial water pools into a basin within Earth’s surface. Lakes can also form when tectonic plates shift and cause rifts to open in Earth’s crust. Rainwater eventually fills these rifts with water, forming lakes. But man-made lakes are different. They are formed when humans dig depressions into the surface of Earth. These lakes are then filled with rainwater.

The Taum Sauk Reservoir is not like other lakes. In fact, it is very unique; the top of Mt. Proffit was blasted off to create the lake. A concrete embankment was then built to hold in the water. Also unlike other lakes, it is not filled with rainwater. Instead, the water to fill the lake is pumped uphill nearly 800 feet. The source of the water being pumped comes from another lake. This lower reservoir was formed by damming the East Fork of the Black River. This makes the Taum Sauk.