The Illinois State Water Survey is continuing data development for the Embarras River watershed as part of a multiple-phase study to help local communities identify areas of high flood risk for flood mitigation planning.
Results from the new study will be used to update the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps and Flood Insurance Studies report which typically depict floodplains, including the 1-percent-annual-chance (100-year) and 0.2-percent-annual-chance (500-year) flood hazard areas.
ISWS is working collaboratively on the project with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Water Resources and FEMA.
This second phase will study the tributary streams within the Embarras River watershed and will also begin with data collection, which started this month and will finish during the summer 2025.
Data collection 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), and Lawrence County (Bridgeport and Sumner). Some of the survey work will be performed in the rural areas of each county. Residents should be aware of the periodic presence of survey crews in the area. Surveys will be completed as stream conditions and weather allow.
The first phase of the multi-phase project began with data collection on the Embarras River mainstem in the spring of 2024. Data collection involved surveyors conducting detailed channel and bridge surveys on the Embarras River mainstem.
The Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provides scientific expertise and transformative research to the people of Illinois and beyond. PRI is home to the five state scientific surveys: the Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois State Archaeological Survey, Illinois State Geological Survey, Illinois State Water Survey, and Illinois Sustainable Technology Center.
MEDIA CONTACT
Aaron Thomas, 217-333-7832, abthomas@illinois.edu
Illinois State Water Survey