Engineers say Alton levee needs repairs or might it fail during flooding

By Ann Rubin

KSDK -- A problem with the levee near Alton needs to be addressed soon, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. While they say there is no immediate threat, the Corps says the levee could fail if left unchecked.

While problem is very real, the Corps says the public should not worry. There are temporary fixes in the works and more permanent ones on the horizon.

The Wood River Levee runs past the Melvin Price Locks and Dam. It protects much of Alton.
Those at Drake Tire and Auto hope that will continue.

"When they break, they break big," says manager Kirk Oldendorph. "Of course it worries me. I'd hate to see Alton take another hit."

The trouble: something called sand boils in the wetlands area near the levee. That means water and sediment are traveling beneath the levee, potentially compromising the barrier itself. The Army Corps of Engineers says while the risk of levee failure isn't imminent, the consequence of it would be severe, up to $350 million in damage.

"That type of uncontrolled underseepage that's pulling sediment with it won't fix itself," says Corps spokesman Chris Wilson. "And we need to take pro-active measures to fix it in a short period of time to reduce the risk for the public."

The Corps is looking at two possible long-term solutions. One involves piling four to six feet of sand to put pressure on the problem area in the wetlands. The second involves actually splitting open the levee, pouring a concrete cutoff wall right down the middle.

In the meantime, the Corps is keeping an eye on the levee and on river levels. High water means higher risk for trouble.

"Because this situation is kind of unique, we're trying to get in there as quickly as possible to protect the public," Wilson says.

At Drake Tire and Auto, they hope the solution comes soon, especially since they're remodeling their building.

"Mother nature packs a pretty good whallup so you never know what's going to happen," Oldendorph says.

He says water damage is the last thing anyone in Alton needs.

"It has a long-term effect on the business," he says. "That's a hard thing to clean up."

The Corps plans to send a cost estimate to Congress before their holiday recess. And depending on how quickly they get funding, they hope to have shovels in the ground to fix the problem within the next year or two.