Several spots along the upper Illinois River are beginning to take flooding precautions. The Illinois River in Meredosia, La Grange, and Valley City are at or are expected to hit major flood stage this week. Crests along the river are not expected to happen until late Tuesday morning. The National Hydrolaugic Prediction Service gave the following readings today:
LaGrange Lock & Dam sits at 26.8 feet, just two inches below moderate flood stage. They are expected to crest at 32 feet on Tuesday morning.
Meredosia currently sits at 20.8 feet, a foot and two inches below moderate flood stage. They are expected to crest at 26 feet on Tuesday morning.
Valley City is sitting at 19.06 feet this morning, a little under two feet below moderate flood stage. They are expected to crest at 24 feet on Tuesday afternoon.
Justin Daws, head of Scott County Emergency Management says that the Scott County levies are currently sitting at 24 feet above flood stage with their levees peaking at 24.5 feet. He says the Illinois Emergency Management Agency has initiated sandbagging efforts at the local correctional facilities to help build up the tops of levees. Daws also says that Scott County has enacted their flood plans through the end of the week.
Morgan County Emergency Management Coordinator Phil McCarty told the Journal-Courier on Monday that there isn’t going to be any public sandbagging efforts and all mitigation efforts are being handled internally.
Many residents to the south are still weary from last year’s record flooding. Residents in the Nutwood levee district in southern Greene County have an eye to that levee, as the Army Corps of Engineers were only able to install a coffer dam on the site of a breach that occurred in the district last year. The Illinois River at Hardin is expected to remain only in minor flood stage in that portion of the river when crests are expected late Tuesday afternoon.