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Water survey analyzing flood risks in Central Illinois counties
CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — The Illinois State Water Survey is continuing data development to analyze flood risks in six Central Illinois counties.
The data development conducted by ISWS is for the Embarras River watershed, part of a multi-phase study to help local communities identify areas of high flood risk for flood mitigation planning. Flood risks are to be analyzed in the following counties:
Clark
Coles
Crawford
Cumberland
Jasper
Lawrence
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Results from this new study will be used to update the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Flood Insurance Rate Maps and Flood Insurance Studies report. This usually depicts floodplains, including the 1-percent-annual-chance (100-year) and 0.2-percent-annual-chance (500-year) flood hazard areas.
ISWS is working on this project in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Water Resources and FEMA. Additionally, the second phase will study the tributary streams within the Embarras River watershed; starting with data collection, this phase began this month and will finish during the summer.
The data collection process will involve surveyors conducting detailed channel and bridge surveys of the tributaries in the following counties and their respective communities:
Coles County and Cumberland County (Trilla)
Clark County (Casey)
Jasper County (Newton and Ste. Marie)
Lawrence County (Bridgeport and Summer)
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Additionally, some of the survey work will be done in the rural areas of each county. Residents are asked to be aware of the periodic presence of survey crews in the area, and the surveys will be completed as stream conditions and weather allow.
In the spring of 2024, the first phase of this project started with data collection on the Embarras River's mainstem.
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