by Dorothy K. Stade, Ozark Chapter Leader & Activist Emeritus
There have been many memorable days in the life of the Ozark Chapter, but none more memorable than August 8, 1978. That was the day the voters, given the unusual opportunity to vote on an Army Corps of Engineers project, said NO to the Meramec Dam. An overwhelming 64% of the voters sounded the death knell, not only for the Meramec Dam, but also for the much larger Meramec Basin Project because without the Meramec Dam, there was little likelihood that any others would be built.
The Meramec Dam was to be the first and the largest dam in the project. It was to be built near Sullivan, just upstream of Meramec State Park and, would have created a reservoir with a shoreline of 175 miles inundating 12,600 acres (normal pool) of farmland, wildlife habitat, the Upper Meramec, and the lower Huzzah and Courtois, all to protect 11,500 aces downstream.
Severe flooding on the lower Meramec in the 1930s provided the Corps with an opportunity to propose dams in the Meramec Basin; the Flood Control Act of 1938 authorized dams on the Meramec and the Bourbeuse. A war intervened, but in 1943, the plan re-surfaced with an additional dam on the Big River. Corps plans do not shrink; they only expand in size. More plans were offered, and finally in 1963 the Corps offered up the new Meramec Basin Project which called for a total of 31 dams! There were to be seven main-stem dams on the Meramec, Big, and Bourbeuse Rivers, a dozen smaller dams on tributaries, and a dozen higher in the basin for erosion control. The Corps touted the usual benefits: flood control, flatwater recreation, and fish and wildlife enhancement. Later water supply and economic stimulation in the area were added to the list. The Corps was on a roll during this time, and in 1966 Congress authorized the Meramec Dam and began appropriating funds for planning and land purchase.
It appeared that all the movers and shakers favored the Meramec Dam: the Missouri Congressional delegation, the Governor, the Conservation Commission, the St. Louis Regional Commerce and Growth Association, the two major St. Louis newspapers. Every year the Meramec Basin Association dutifully sent someone to Washington to lobby and testify in support of more appropriations. Appearances are deceptive. Not everyone supported the Meramec Dam. Many landowners were not “willing sellers” and did not want to lose their land. The Citizens’ Committee to Save the Meramec was formed in the Bourbon Sullivan area. Canoeists did not want to lose these free-flowing miles of river so close to St. Louis. Cavers were concerned about the loss of dozens of caves in the area including Onondaga, and the loss of bat habitat. Float fishermen envisioned the loss of excellent small mouth bass habitat on the Courtois and Huzzah. And environmentalists simply did not want to see the Corps mess up another beautiful area. Even the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had doubts about the so-called “benefits” of the project, but there was no organized opposition, and the project moved forward.
The opponents needed someone with vision, perseverance, and a personal commitment to see the effort through to the end. In the Meramec Dam campaign, that person was Jerry Sugerman. Many hundreds of people contributed to the eventual victory, but it was Jerry who was the glue that held it together through all the years. He had gotten his environmental feet wet during the aborted Scenic Rivers drive, and in 1971 shifted his energies to saving the Meramec. Well-meaning friends tried to dissuade him, believing that the Meramec Dam was a fait accompli since Congress never deauthorized Corps projects once work had begun. Fortunately Jerry was not dissuaded, and the rest is history.
Sugerman developed a plan for involving every individual and group possible in the effort to stop the Dam. And he used every technique available to acquaint the public with what they would lose if the Dam were built. In 1971 he led a large delegation to Washington, D.C., to testify against further appropriations for the Dam. It made headlines because this was the first real evidence of an organized opposition. In 1972 the Ozark Chapter filed suit seeking an injunction against Corps activity in the Meramec Basin because of the totally inadequate environmental impact statement. It was 8 pages long! The hearing was not held in St. Louis Federal District Court until 1975. Meanwhile, in 1973 the Endangered Species Act had become law, and Indiana bats, which hibernated in Meramec Basin caves, were being considered for endangered species status. It was hoped this would have some impact on the court case. Unfortunately, the judge rejected the environmentalists’ arguments, but the case had gained publicity and more supporters for the anti-dam effort.
During this time Sugerman and his committee had not been idle. There were letter and phone campaigns, opportunities for distributing leaflets and bumper stickers, programs and slide sows to be given, field trips and float trips to be organized, and regular contacts with the media and government officials to be maintained.
By 1975 approximately 22,000 acres had been purchased by the Corps, and some work had begun on access roads and what was to be the visitors center. But things were changing. At its spring meeting, the Conservation Federation of Missouri resolved to change its position and oppose construction of the Meramec Dam. Later that spring a group from the Citizen’s Committee presented Governor Bond with petitions containing 45,000 signatures of citizens opposing the Dam. The 70s were becoming the environmental decade and more and more people were expressing doubts about this kind of project, but that did not slow down the Corps.
By 1976 the Corps was moving dirt at the Dam site, but this was an election year, and the dam became an issue in several races. In his successful race for the U.S. Senate, John Danforth built part of his campaign on opposition to the dam and reservoir. And Jimmy Carter, who campaigned against federal water projects, was elected President. He had presented his “hit list” of nineteen projects, including the Meramec, and true to his pledge, omitted funding for them in his first annual budget in 1977. (By 1977, the project cost had risen to $124 million from the 1966 estimate of $38 million). With funding suspended, everything stopped. Public opinion was shifting and Senator Thomas Eagleton said he would no longer support the Meramec Dam unless a public referendum showed support for the project. The Missouri General Assembly very reluctantly approved a non-binding referendum to be held in the city of St. Louis and 12 Meramec Basin counties on August 8, 1978.
Now Jerry Sugerman, the Sierra Club, and its allies had their work cut out for them. They had to raise enough money to fund a winning election campaign. And they did it! Only Jerry could describe how a last ditch effort paid off, and they were able to achieve the impossible and beat the Corps. Even the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reversed its long-standing position and came out against the project, as did the Missouri Department of Conservation. What a feeling of accomplishment pervaded the Club – an “Ozark Mountain High” worth celebrating.
But it wasn’t really over. It took three more years before all the details were worked out to deauthorize the project and dispose of the lands the Corps had purchased. The deauthorization bill was signed by Ronald Reagan on December 29, 1981. Finally, after 43 years, the Meramec’s right to flow freely to the sea had been guaranteed.