U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to host Metro East levee open house events

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District will host two open houses in November to inform stakeholders and the public on the progress and future plans for the federal levee projects in the Metro East.

The 75.8-mile system of levees in the Metro East includes Wood River Drainage and Levee District, Metro East Sanitary District, Chain of Rocks and Prairie Du Pont and Fish Lake Levee Districts. The levee system protects an 111,700-acre area. More than 280,000 residents and workers are protected by these systems, as well as roughly $4.8 billion worth of property, industry and transportation infrastructure.

The Corps of Engineers is working on the rehabilitation of the aging levees, as well as design deficiency corrections for this critical infrastructure in partnership the Southwestern Illinois Flood Prevention District Council and the local levee districts. To date, the Corps has invested more than $134 million toward lowering flood risk to the people and residents in the Metro East.

The open houses will serve as a place for people to ask questions and gain information from technical experts regarding the federal levee projects in East St. Louis and Wood River, Ill., levee safety, permitting and regulatory programs. General information will also be provided on levee structure and stability, and the Corps’ levee inspection and rehabilitation program.

The open houses will be held at the following dates and locations:

November 13, 2013
Granite City Township Hall
2060 Delmar Ave.
Granite City, Ill.
4-6 p.m.

November 14, 2013
National Great Rivers Museum
#2 Lock and Dam Way, Alton, Ill.
4-6 p.m.

For additional information, contact the St. Louis District Public Affairs Office at (314) 331-8000. 

USACE Wood River Levee reconstruction project

The St. Louis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers replaced one of three closure structures on the West Flank of the Wood River Creek near the Olin Corporation April 24. Replacing the structures, and the adjacent floodwall, is one feature of the Corps' Wood River Levee reconstruction project to correct design deficiencies and maintain the levee system's authorized level of protection (approximately 54-feet on the St. Louis gage).

The closure structures replaced 139-feet of floodwall, including the Powder Mill Road closure structure and a Kansas City Southern railroad closure structure. Pile foundations have also been installed and concrete walls and abutments are near completion, Corps officials said.  New steel swing gates are expected to be installed in the railroad and highway openings after the completion of the concrete work.

The Corps' project includes rehabilitating 21 miles of levee in the Mississippi River flood plain of Madison County, Ill. To correct design deficiencies, project features include replacing 163 of 170 existing relief wells and installing 60 new relief wells. Reconstruction project features include the restoration or replacement of 26 closure structures, 38 gravity drains and seven pump stations.

In total, the Corps has expended more than $14.7 million in the reconstruction project that reduces risk to 23,100 residents and workers, and protects approximately $1.8 billion in commercial and residential structures and infrastructure.

Construction on the Chain of Rocks Pump Station

Seven grueling hours in the sun, 32 trucks of material, and 265-cubic yards of concrete marked the start of construction on the Chain of Rocks Pump Station April 18 along the Chain of Rocks Levee near Granite City, Ill.

The pump station is one feature of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District’s project to correct design deficiencies and provide the Chain of Rocks levee with the authorized level of protection of 54-feet on the St. Louis gage.

Located in Madison County, the federally owned and operated levee is one segment of the Metro East Sanitary District Levee System.

The construction of the pump station marks another milestone in the completion of the Corps’ project to reduce risk to those living and working in the Metro East.

The project includes the construction of North and South seepage berms, as well as 37 relief wells.

Project features became necessary after the 1993 flood when sand boils developed along large portions of the levee. Sand boils form when water traveling under the levee carries with it sediments necessary for the longevity and stability of the levee.

This project highlights the Corps’ commitment to reduce risk to the more than 250,000 residents and workers, and $4.5 billion in property assets behind the Metro East Sanitary District Levee System.

In total, the Corps has allocated more than $45.8M in construction to the Chain of Rocks Levee.

Scott County levee update

Col. Tom O’Hara, commander, St. Louis District Army Corps of Engineers, visited levees in Scott County, Ill., yesterday where Corps engineers were providing technical assistance to the local levee and drainage district. The Scott County levee breached in three places after heavy rains fell in the area Sunday, June 19.

The levee runs along Mauvais Terre Creek, a tributary to the Illinois River near Jacksonville, IL. Several thousand acres of farmland were impacted by the floodwaters. Corps personnel deployed to the location and assisted in getting an interim closure in place and are working with local authorities in support of long term repairs.