Flooding Your Neighbor: Raised Levees In Illinois Put Missouri Towns At Risk

The Mississippi River separating Illinois and Missouri near Hannibal, Missouri. (WorldIslandInfo.com/Flickr)
The Mississippi River separating Illinois and Missouri near Hannibal, Missouri. (WorldIslandInfo.com/Flickr)
The Mississippi River separating Illinois and Missouri near Hannibal, Missouri. (WorldIslandInfo.com/Flickr)
The Mississippi River separating Illinois and Missouri near Hannibal, Missouri. (WorldIslandInfo.com/Flickr)

Flooding Your Neighbor: Raised Levees In Illinois Put Missouri Towns At Risk

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A recent report from ProPublica Illinois found that certain towns in Illinois are doing such a good job of protecting themselves from flooding that they may be increasing the risk for their neighbors in Missouri — on the opposite side of the Mississippi River.

This is because some districts — like the Sny Island levee drainage district about 85 miles west of Springfield, Illinois — are overbuilding their levees against regulations. These higher levees, which are structures built to prevent rivers from overflowing and flooding the area, leave neighboring towns with levees built within regulations in increased danger of flooding.

Here to break down the story is ProPublica reporter Lisa Song, who focuses on environment, climate change, and energy issues.