A plan to get to work on upgrading levees from Alton to the Columbia Bottoms is apparently still at the mercy of the approval process of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The project, which has been advertised with a price tag ranging from $151 to just over $160-million, is still being slowed by the pace of those needed approvals, and that has local leaders concerned.
Given the delays when there is a sense of urgency, the Levee Issues Alliance earlier this year vowed to push for policy changes at the Corps. Madison County Board Chairman Alan Dunstan (pictured) says this has been a frustrating process.
Dunstan comment
If the levees are decertified by FEMA, the cost of new insurance premiums across the region could reach an estimated $50-million.
http://www.floodpreventiondistrict.org/
(Copyright WBGZ / www.altondailynews.com )
