Rural Missouri - September 2023 - 15

Today Tunnel Dam is a popular spot for anglers, who can choose to fish from the Niangua River below the dam or Lake Niangua above it.
by Jim McCarty | jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop
F
or 93 years, a unique hydropower project known as
Tunnel Dam has helped power the Ozarks. Its source
of energy comes from water backed up by a dam on
the Niangua River. Tiny by comparison to the other
sources of power for electric co-op members in Missouri,
the project's days are numbered. But the engineering that
went into its construction and its remarkable history will
long be a source of pride for those who have kept it operating
over the years.
Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative, which provides electricity
to nine electric cooperatives and Fort Leonard Wood,
plans to shut down the plant when its license to operate
it expires in June 2024. But it plans to keep the dam in
place, allowing outdoors enthusiasts to continue enjoying
the beautiful spot well into the future.
Engineers looking for the next source of electricity in the
early 1900s had long cast their eyes on the Niangua River.
Since the 1850s, the Niangua had powered 33 gristmills
thanks to the output of many large springs. These include
Bennett Spring, which averages 100 million gallons daily.
Specifically, they saw potential in the long, lazy Whitworth
Bend in the river east of Camdenton where the Niangua
flows for 6 1/2 miles and ends up just a quarter mile
away on the other side of a steep ridge. The idea was to
dam the river, enlarge a cave that passed through the ridge
and put a powerhouse on the other side that would be
powered by water pouring downhill through the cavern.
The first attempt to tame the river, however, was seriously
underfunded and unrealistic in its estimates. It
ended after enlarging the cave only a short distance when
workers discovered the cavern's many branches would
have siphoned off too much of the water.
In 1922 another attempt was launched, this time with
serious cash behind it. Enter the Quigley family, who in
1920 organized the Missouri Water Power Co. and Quigley
Construction Co. in order to build a series of hydropower
projects on the Niangua.
Its investors boldly predicted the new lake would be 25
miles long and the turbines would produce enough electricity
in one day to power the city of Lebanon for an entire
month. They promised that this would be the first of four
dams on the Niangua.
The July 24, 1922, Springfield Leader inaccurately
reported that the tunnel was nearing completion and work
on the dam would start soon. The story reported a contract
had been signed to provide power to Lebanon, in addition
to 20 other towns that had signed on. It hinted the plant
might even supply electricity to Jefferson City.
SEPTEMBER 2023 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 15

http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP

Rural Missouri - September 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - September 2023

Contents
Rural Missouri - September 2023 - Cover1
Rural Missouri - September 2023 - Cover2
Rural Missouri - September 2023 - Contents
Rural Missouri - September 2023 - 4
Rural Missouri - September 2023 - 5
Rural Missouri - September 2023 - 6
Rural Missouri - September 2023 - 7
Rural Missouri - September 2023 - 8
Rural Missouri - September 2023 - 9
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Rural Missouri - September 2023 - Cover3
Rural Missouri - September 2023 - Cover4
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