County leaders to lobby D.C. on levee changes
'This is the No. 1 priority,' county chairman says
Much of the region is poised to become a flood zone starting next year after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers changed how it determines whether a levee will survive a major flood. Those new guidelines were instituted after the levee failures in New Orleans after hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
Homeowners in the flood hazard zones would be forced to pay as much as $3,000 annually in flood insurance.One plan is to spend about $180 million to fix local levees, but Illinois leaders want a delay to coordinate plans with Missouri, which is planning its own fixes.
Madison County Board Chairman said the levee issue has turned into a major focus for Metro East leaders, who formed a 14-member task force last month to examine the problems and address funding issues. They first met last week.
"They're pretty much up to speed," Dunstan said. "This is the No. 1 priority for everyone."
The St. Clair County Board last week also approved spending $1.25 million for an engineering study that would pinpoint problems with the Fish Lake and Prairie Du Pont levee systems.
St. Clair, Madison and Monroe counties have five levee districts covering more than 250 miles, from Columbia to Alton.
