GRAND TOWER, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois legislative measure in support of a southern Illinois county’s efforts to fix a worrisome Mississippi River levee is advancing.
The Springfield bureau of Lee Enterprises newspapers (http://bit.ly/1czVY5s) reports the Illinois Senate unanimously signed off on a plan to allow Jackson County to spend up to $1.7 million out of a special fund to help pay for repairs to the Big Muddy Levee.
The levee is near the 600-resident village of Grand Tower.
Last year, the earthen barrier showed signs of trouble, including holes blamed on the collapse of a drainage pipe.
The levee was given an unsatisfactory rating in mid-2011, making it ineligible for federal funds.
The measure, Senate Bill 2721, now goes to the House for consideration.
