A nearly $40 million Metro East project that officials believe will enhance flooding prevention along the Mississippi River has been completed, officials said Friday.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Wood River Drainage and Levee District said their federal-local partnership will address known deficiencies in the levee system by building 80 new relief wells, a drainage system and an access road.
“We want to make sure that the area has mitigated the flood risk as much as possible to an acceptable level, so people can invest in their companies,” said Hal Graef, a project manager with the Army Corps. “They can live here in their residences, as well as the navigation of the river.”
The completion of the massive project in Madison County that runs from Hartford to Wood River and East Alton marks the latest effort to address a system that hasn’t always held up during the region’s worst floods.
Officials originally constructed the Wood River Levee in the 1950s in the Mississippi River’s floodplain in Madison County. Currently, it provides protection to approximately 31,000 residents and 13,700 acres worth $3.4 billion.
In 2009, officials discovered excessive “underseepage” of water underneath the levee and water pressure building up in sand, putting the levee at an elevated level of risk of failing. During the historic 1993 flooding, the levee also did not perform “satisfactorily,” according to the Corps.
The latest project — what officials call the “Upper Wood River Levee Underseepage Design Deficiency Correction — aims to limit and control the water from the river from building up underneath the levee. Prolonged buildup of water could weaken the levee and potentially lead to its failure.
“The deficiency led to a significant risk of the integrity of this levee system,” said Col Andy Pannier, commander of the Corps’ St. Louis District. “We had to address it.”
Subsequent reports in 2012 and 2017 recommended changes to curb the issues.
Construction on the new relief wells and drainage system began in 2021 and concluded this year, Graef said.
“We don't want the existing levy to have any serious foundation issues,” Graef said. “Without these measures, there's still a risk of uncontrolled underseepage, which also might equate to a failure of the levee. So, it's definitely something we want to prevent at all levels.”
In total, the federal government footed the bill for the $39.46 million project via various congressional appropriations. The Corps also made a one-time payment of $1.26 to the Wood River Drainage and Levee District so it can take over operation, maintenance, repair and rehab and replacement of the new drainage system.
“That's definitely a big help for us,” said Kevin Williams, the executive director of the Wood River Drainage and Levee District.
Preventing flooding in this area is crucial because of the various heavy industries located along the river.
“If the levee system were to ever fail, it's not just the economics of that which would be catastrophic,” Graef said. “You're also talking about the environmental cleanup, which would be huge.”
The new drainage also maintains the levee system’s accreditation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The stamp of approval from the other federal agency means residents and businesses can purchase more affordable flood insurance.
“A lot of people driving by right now have no idea the value of what's been done here,” Pannier said. “They don't realize the risks that were here and how we've mitigated those over time.”
