CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) announced today that new hydrologic and hydraulic modeling of Nippersink Creek will be performed in partnership with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources-Office of Water Resources (IDNR-OWR) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The study will help local communities to identify areas of high flood risk along Nippersink Creek for flood mitigation planning.

Effective floodplain map of the study
area

The first phase of the project, data collection, is anticipated to be completed by late spring 2016. The first phase will include detailed channel and hydraulic structure surveys of Nippersink Creek by IDNR-OWR within Unincorporated Lake and McHenry County, the Village of Spring Grove, the Village of Wonder Lake, and the Village of Fox Lake. Survey activities will be primarily focused downstream of Pioneer Road, and 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 study comes as a result of FEMA Discovery meetings that were held in the Upper Fox River watershed in November 2012 and October 2014 with stakeholders that included local community officials and emergency managers. Application of FEMA's Coordinated Needs Management Strategy (CNMS) also helped identify Nippersink Creek as a priority watershed for re-analysis.

Questions about the study can be directed to Gregory Byard, P.E., CFM, at the Illinois State Water Survey (byard@illinois.edu) ph:217-244-0360 or Loren Wobig, P.E., CFM, at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Water Resources (Loren.Wobig@illinois.gov) ph:217-782-9130.