BRANSON, Mo – The City of Branson has received a reimbursement check from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for 66% of what the City of Branson paid for Dredging the Meadows Water Treatment Plant from the December 2015 floods.
In late December 2015, severe flooding occurred along the White River watershed which took water levels on Beaver and Table Rock lakes to historic elevations. The lake level of Table Rock dictated a release at Table Rock Dam of 73,000 cubic feet of water per second. The release of water coupled with excessive flows from tributaries led to the erosion of banks and movement of gravel along Lake Taneycomo. A large amount of sand, gravel and debris was deposited over the intake screen system that is used to supply water to the City’s Meadows Water Treatment Plant. The Meadows facility had to be taken out of service to prevent damage to pumps and related equipment.
The City hired a dredging contractor to remove the accumulated material from the area of the screen structures and from within two 24 inch pipes that carry water to the intake pumps. The contractor removed 5,300 cubic yards of sand and rock material. City crews also made repairs to the existing stainless steel screen components that were damaged by trees and large objects that lodged against the structures during the flood event.
The City of Branson spent $462,868.00 on the project and received $306,403.20 from SEMA and FEMA on January 16, 2019. This money will go directly into the water/sewer fund.