Lake County Valmeyer Peoria Kampsville Grafton Evansville Chicago Belleville
BACKGROUND
Countywide stormwater regulations related to new development are in place to prevent new flooding from occurring and from current flooding problems from getting worse. To mitigate the existing flooding problems, the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) has instituted a flood mitigation program that includes a mitigation plans and projects at the countywide, watershed and site levels each including a repetitive loss component. At the foundation of the program is interjurisdictional cooperation among local, state and federal entities to cost-share on mitigation efforts.
MITIGATION PROJECTS AND BENEFITS
To date, SMC has utilized $2.2 million in FHMP funds for two buyout projects resulting in the acquisition of nearly 30 structures located in older subdivisions. Local match was a combination of SMC funds and Community Development Block Grants.
The Sturm Subdivision, located in a depressional area and built in the 1950s, on average lost road access and suffered damaged homes twice a year after 2" rain events. One home had sandbags surrounding the home year-round and managed to landscape with short evergreens in the front of the home. HMGP and FHMP funds were used to acquire two homes, install a detention basin with native vegetation, and a wetland complex to increase storage and improve water quality. SMC is responsible for operation and maintenance of the mitigated wetland complex for the next five years.
The Williams Park Subdivision is located in the floodplain of Slocum Lake, a tributary to the Fox River. Once summer homes, over the past 30 years the homes have been converted to year round homes with roads and ditches that attempted to drain runoff away from homes already below the lake level. To date, 23 homes and lots have been acquired. SMC anticipates a phase two buyout will include up to five more homes. Low-maintenance native vegetation has been planted on vacant lots. Once phase two is complete, SMC will work with the homeowners association to develop a neighborhood plan to enhance the family-oriented community.
In addition to the buyouts, SMC has drafted a countywide flood hazard mitigation plan – the first of its kind for the county. The plan, once adopted later this year, incorporates other mitigation measures, both structural and non-structural. The plan will assist communities and the county in flood mitigation planning, direct resources to the highest priority flood damage sites, and allow county access to state and federal cost-share funds. A major component of the plan is sub-watershed maps showing flood hazard areas. To date, SMC has identified and mapped over 350 of these areas. Key to plan adoption and acceptance will be the work of the Flood Hazard Mitigation Task Force formed in 1999 to review the plan and finalize an action plan.
A component to the flood hazard mitigation plan is a repetitive loss property audits this year, which will result in a parcel-specific strategy. The investigation will require obtaining data including but not limited to elevation, topography and construction data, of approximately 60 IEMA identified repetitive loss structures and surrounding areas throughout Lake County. Once the audits are completed, SMC and the county have earmarked local match funds to begin an initial $1 million buyout.
A cornerstone to all of SMC’s mitigation efforts is public awareness. For the past four years, the agency has sponsored a Flood Awareness Week to inform the public about flood risk potential, safety tips, and actions to take to be flood safe. Activities have included radio call-in talk show appearances, meetings with newspaper editorial boards, open houses, and tours of mitigation projects with county and municipal officials, flood insurance workshops for insurance agents and realtors, and web page information.
PROJECT COST, FUNDING SOURCES
Sturm Subdivision Phase I Acquisition, Phase II Detention& Wetland Complex
$429,200 total cost
Phase I $265,700 HMGP for acquisition, $88,500 Ela Township, $75,000 IDNR-OWR for wetland complex
Williams Park Subdivision Acquisition Phase I, Demolition
$2.24 million total cost
$1.9 million HMGP and IEMA Public Assistant Grant (75%), $340,000 CDBG and SMC (25%)
Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan
$120,000 total cost
$60,000 CDBG, SMC in-kind
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency administers and coordinates the State’s flood hazard mitigation programs.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Prior to 1993, the Village of Valmeyer was a small farming community of
approximately 900 residents in
southwestern Illinois. The Village is located 5 miles east of the Mississippi
River, just south of St. Louis, Missouri. The Village is protected by levees and
consequently has rare but extreme flood events. In the Great Flood of 1993, the
Village experienced record flooding. The 1993 flood inundated almost the entire
Village for months. It caused substantial damage to over two hundred homes.
MITIGATION MEASURES EMPLOYED
Rather than rebuild in the wide Mississippi River floodplain, the Village utilized funds from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, and the Economic Development Administration to permanently mitigate any future flood damages. The Village implemented an acquisition project to acquire 242 properties, many of them substantially damaged. An additional 92 structures were acquired using National Flood Insurance Program Section 1362 funding (which is no longer available). To completely mitigate the threat of flooding, the entire Village relocated three miles away to a bluff overlooking the site of the former Village.
PROJECT BENEFITS
The acquisition project moved quickly and within 2 years nearly the entire flood-ravaged Village had been acquired and demolished. The site of Old Valmeyer has been dedicated to open space and will be used for recreation and farming purposes. The Village has successfully relocated above the floodplain, and most original town residents now live in the "New Valmeyer". The new Village includes residential areas, commercial and industrial districts, school buildings, churches, and public offices. Located within commuting distance of St. Louis, New Valmeyer is a prosperous community experiencing rapid growth.
PROJECT COST
$8,345,914
FUNDING SOURCES
- $6,259,435 in FEMA-HMGP (75%).
- $2,086,478 in Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (25%) from HUD CDBG funds.
- The Illinois Emergency Management Agency administers and coordinates the
State’s hazard mitigation programs
City of Peoria and Peoria County
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Acquisition and relocation of frequently flood-damaged buildings have been taking place in the City of Peoria and unincorporated Peoria County for nearly fifteen years. Beginning in 1982 with FEMA’s Section 1362 floodprone property acquisition program and continuing through today’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the City, County and the Park District have acquired, relocated, and demolished dozens of structures and restored an open floodplain along a 25 mile reach of the Illinois River.
MITIGATION MEASURES EMPLOYED
The City and County have obtained Illinois Department of Natural Resources funding to continue to acquire flood-prone properties. All the properties have been cleared to create open space and residents have relocated to flood-free locations. The County also participates in the Community Rating System (CRS) and has used the acquisition projects to reduce their CRS rating, which lowers flood insurance premiums for County residents.
PROJECT BENEFITS
Record floods occurred in 1979, 1982, 1985 and 1995. The success of the program is obvious when the damages for the 1985 and 1995 floods are compared. Although the 1995 flood crested 1.4 feet higher than the 1985 flood, very little damage occurred, and flood insurance claims were reduced by almost ninety percent. Taxpayers were saved millions of dollars in relief costs and the benefits are continuing.
Removing the exposure to flood damage pays real benefits. Also, the jurisdictions have continued these ongoing efforts by applying for $1.3 million in HMGP funding and $383,000 in Flood Mitigation Assistance Program funding, which will be matched by State agencies.
PROJECT COST
$4.7 million
FUNDING SOURCES
- $2.2 million in FEMA’s obsolete Section 1362 Program (under the National Flood Insurance Program).
- $1.5 million from IDNR.
- $1 million from Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs.
- The Illinois Emergency Management Agency administers and coordinates the State’s hazard mitigation programs.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The Village of Kampsville is a small tourist-based community in west central Illinois. The Village is home to the Center for American Archeology, which attracts visitors from across the Nation. The Village is located about 15 miles north of the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers and is along the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway, designated in 1999. The location of the Village, confined between the Illinois River and its forested bluffs, makes it extremely flood-prone. Prior to the Great Flood of 1993, the Village had experienced many repetitive floods, with the most severe damage occurring in 1973. The 1993 flood inundated almost the entire Village for months, causing substantial damage to over a dozen buildings.
Following the 1973 flood, which was then the worst on record, the Village received a grant from FEMA and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (then IDOT) to acquire flood damaged structures. The Village acquired 34 structures using FEMA, IDNR, and Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs funding. This initial mitigation project cleared much of the repetitive flood areas in the Village by acquiring structures located in the lowest portion of the floodplain.
Following the 1993 flood, the Village utilized FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to acquire several additional structures that were not acquired in the 1973 buyout. With matching funds provided by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, the Village acquired an additional 13 properties. The acquired properties are all dedicated to open space. The Village also received funding to develop a Hazard Mitigation Plan to address all hazards in the area. The Mitigation Plan was updated following the 1993 buyout.
PROJECT BENEFITS
The success of the 1973 buyout program was obvious during the 1993 flood. Although several structures flooded in 1993, the severe damage in 1973 would have been repeated and greatly intensified had there not been a buyout project implemented. In 1993 there was a significant reduction in damage to homes. The benefits of an open floodplain were clearly evident in this Village which experiences repetitive flooding. The benefits of an open floodplain influenced other communities and organizations as well.
Following the 1993 flood, Kampsville’s mayor encouraged nearby communities to implement a buyout, saying it was, " the hardest thing the Village had ever done but also the best thing the Village had ever done".
The reuse of the land is also beneficial to the Village. To serve tourists, the Village has created a riverfront campground in one area of the buyout with gravel pads and an unobstructed view of the River.
PROJECT COST, FUNDING SOURCES
- $382,200 (1973)
- $269,325 (1993) - $182,732 in FEMA-HMGP (75%)
- $86,593 in Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs funds (25%) from HUD CDBG funds.
- The Illinois Emergency Management Agency administers and coordinates the State’s hazard mitigation programs.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The City of Grafton is a small tourist-based community of 900 people in west central Illinois. The City is located at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers and just north of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers’ confluence. The location of the City makes it extremely flood-prone. Flooding on the Mississippi, Illinois, or Missouri Rivers can all affect Grafton. Prior to the Great Flood of 1993, the City had experienced many floods but none to the degree that it experienced in 1993. The 1993 flood inundated almost the entire City for months. In places, flood depths exceeded 15 feet in the city. Four homes floated away down the Mississippi River. Over one hundred homes in Grafton were substantially damaged. The city, known for its resiliency to flooding, was devastated.
MITIGATION MEASURES EMPLOYED
The City opted to utilize the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to acquire the substantially damaged structures and end the cycle of flood-rebuild-flood. With matching funds provided by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, the City implemented an acquisition project to acquire 100 properties, many of them located in the floodway of the River. The acquisition project moved relatively quickly and within 2 years the City had acquired and demolished most of the properties. The properties are all dedicated to open space, which provides an unobstructed, scenic view of the River from the Great River Road which runs the length of town.
Anew subdivision has been constructed on the rolling bluffs above Grafton. Dozens of new homes are under construction.
PROJECT BENEFITS
The success of the 1993 buyout program was obvious in 1995 when the City again experienced flooding at the 100-year level. In previous years that degree of flooding would have caused extensive damage, but in 1995, the City continued to function as if the flood was non-existent. There was almost no damage to homes and flood insurance claims were drastically reduced. The City did not even get a disaster declaration in 1995. The benefits of an open floodplain are clearly evident in a City that has flooding on an almost annual basis. In fact, since 1993, the City has experienced flooding in 1995, 1996 and 1998, and no significant damage has occurred in any of those events. The benefits of an open floodplain reach other organizations as well. The Red Cross is able to direct its private contributions to other needy sources, and local emergency services agencies can focus on other emergencies in the area. The reuse of the land has been very beneficial to the City. With its strong tourism base, the City is using some of the acquired property to connect a bicycle trail that begins at Pere Marquette State Park, ten miles north of the City, and ends at the City of Alton, fifteen miles to the south. Other buyout sites will be used for public fishing access, parking lots, and city parks. A large new flood-resistant marina is proposed along the riverfront.
Since the 1993 flood, Grafton has seen a major change and the once sleepy, flood-damaged city is now a revitalized, energetic city.
PROJECT COST
$4,735,832
FUNDING SOURCES
- $3,551,874 in HMGP (75%)
- $1,183,958 in DCCA funds (25%), $864,958 of this is from HUD CDBG funds.
- The Illinois Emergency Management Agency administers and coordinates the State’s hazard mitigation programs.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The Village of Evansville is a small community in southwestern Illinois along the Kaskaskia River, about 10 miles from its confluence with the Mississippi River. In the Great Flood of 1993, the Village experienced record flooding as the Mississippi River floodwaters backed up the Kaskaskia River. Homes and businesses were inundated with more than ten feet of water, causing severe damage to over twenty structures.
MITIGATION MEASURES EMPLOYED
The Village utilized the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to acquire the substantially damaged structures. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs and U.S. Economic Development Administration funds were used to relocate the Water Treatment Plant away from the threat of flooding. The Village acquired 12 properties, including residences and businesses. The properties are all dedicated to open space and are planned to be used for recreational purposes to promote tourism in the Village.
The Village also developed a Hazard Mitigation Plan to address all hazards within the Village, including earthquake since the Village is within the New Madrid seismic zone. An ordinance implementing BOCA building codes was adopted to encourage earthquake-resistant construction.
PROJECT BENEFITS
The Village has successfully removed many of its residences away from the threat of flooding. Evansville has received recognition across the Nation for its successful implementation of mitigation measures in a small community.
PROJECT COST
$296,000
FUNDING SOURCES
- $220,000 in FEMA-HMGP (75%).
- $74,000 in Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (25%) from HUD CDBG funds.
- The Illinois Emergency Management Agency administers and coordinates the State’s hazard mitigation programs.
City of Chicago Inlet Control Valve
PROJECT BACKGROUND
In August of 1997, the City of Chicago experienced flooding and sewer back-up damage during a torrential rainstorm. The flood caused hardship and property loss for over 35,000 City residents. Because of the population density, many basements are utilized as garden apartments and many of the affected residences have experienced damages on a recurring basis. In addition to property loss, four fatalities occurred as a result of the flood disaster.
The City has been awarded Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds to install valves that attach to the inlets of the combined storm water and sewer system to restrict the flow of rainwater into the combined system at the peak of a storm. Engineering studies determined that the inlet valves were the most cost effective mitigation measure. The inlet control valves will be located throughout the area based on topography and other engineering criteria.
PROJECT BENEFITS
The result is that the combined system functions at no more than full capacity. The sewers function as they are intended, and the inlet valves prevent back up of sewage into the residential basements. During peak periods of full capacity, the excess storm water is temporarily stored in the streets and not contaminated with sewage.
PROJECT COST
$14.3 million
FUNDING SOURCES
- $7,875,000 in HMGP funding (55%).
- $6,425,000 (45%) of the local match provided by the City of Chicago.
- The Illinois Emergency Management Agency administers and coordinates the State’s hazard mitigation programs.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The City of Belleville is located in southwestern Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri. The City experiences repetitive flooding along Richland Creek in various locations identified as 100-year floodplain. The City experienced damaging floods in 1995 and 1996. The 1996 flood was the worst the City has encountered in 15 years and prompted the implementation of the acquisition program.
MITIGATION MEASURES EMPLOYED
The City received funding to acquire 36 properties, including 19 residences, two commercial properties, and 15 vacant lots. The acquisition project involved demolishing the acquired structures and clearing the land to open space. The properties acquired will be retained by the City for open space, to be included in the Richland Creek Greenway Project.
PROJECT BENEFITS
Prior to the 1996 flood, the City had been working on a Greenway Project to mitigate damages in the flood-prone area. The Richland Creek Greenway Master Plan calls for the City to acquire various properties along the entire length of Richland Creek within the City. The Greenway will eliminate properties from the threat of flooding and provide the City with a link to several public parks developed along Richland Creek in the recent past. The Greenway Project was initiated through a public/private effort and was recognized in 1995 as a model public/private partnership project by the East-West Gateway Coordination Council.
PROJECT COST
$1,177,220
FUNDING SOURCES
- $882,915 in HMGP (75%).
- Local match provided by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
- The Illinois Emergency Management Agency administers and coordinates the State’s hazard mitigation programs.