The year 2025 ended on a high note for residents of Fults, Prairie du Rocher and bi-county officials as work to repair a potentially devastating levee problem was resolved in time for those involved to celebrate a worry-free New Year’s Eve.

“I’m happy to report I’ve been sleeping a lot better since Dec. 30,” Monroe County Public Safety Director Kevin Scheibe told the Republic-Times on Monday.

Scheibe reported repairs for the scour hole near a levee in extreme southern Monroe County were completed Dec. 23, adding that everything else was “good to go” following a Dec. 30 inspection.

Scheibe said he is preparing an in-depth report for the Jan. 20 Monroe County Board meeting, but he shared a few details ahead of Tuesday’s presentation. 

Scheibe said work on the project was performed from Dec. 10 through Dec. 23, using 95,000 cubic yards of fill taken from a nearby “legacy levee” to essentially rebuild the base of the levee which had been compromised by a high-velocity Mississippi River current which had cut away foundational support.

“That’s huge,” Scheibe said, describing the amount of material used in the repair. 

He is expected to explain those totals and more  during the next county board meeting.

Scheibe also noted the project was completed in accordance with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers guidelines.

Following all the material being placed, Scheibe said Gateway FS seeded the fill area with fescue grass seed last week, and Stringtown Levee District Chairman Lynden Prange rolled the seed to ensure establishment of a root system and vegetation to keep the fill in place.

Scheibe thanked a number of people who had a hand in the project, including Monroe County Board Chairman George Green and Commissioners Vicki Koerber and Doug Garmer for supporting this repair project from the beginning.

Scheibe said the board was instrumental in approving the life safety funding, pointing out the levee repairs were accomplished without any state or federal funds.

Green also shared details about the project following successful completion of the repairs.

He reported the final cost of the repairs was $413,615, adding the bill has been paid in full.

Green also pointed out that the legacy levee which supplied the fill material had been completely removed, adding the older levee was part of the solution as well as being part of the problem.

He explained removing the legacy levee and its overgrowth “eliminated a pinch point caused by the legacy levee’s presence. Any flood waters can now flow in and out without causing turbulence, which previously resulted in the scouring.”

The scour hole had been discovered over a decade ago, but its rapid deterioration observed at the beginning of last year caused local, state and even national leaders to take notice.

By August, the situation had grown so dire that Scheibe predicted “devastation” during a report to the Monroe County Board.

He also speculated the scour hole would cause a failure along a stretch of the river barrier in the Stringtown Drainage & Levee District within 18 months.

Immediate action was thwarted by Corps of Engineers policy of being a “reactive” agency – meaning it could not address any levee situation until a failure had occurred. 

Those guidelines were accentuated by the Trump Administration’s decision to end the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program in April.

BRIC grants are used to support natural disaster mitigation efforts prior to an event occurring.

While the scour hole situation would have been a perfect fit for grant funding, Scheibe noted that a series of delays through FEMA’s Illinois counterpart made it clear that help was not on the way.

Green said he also recruited the aid of Congressman Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro), although his ability to cut through red tape and push a scour hole grant proposal to the federal level in September proved to be in vain as the fate of the BRIC funds was still awaiting a court decision.

“There was no way I was going to allow this levee to fail on my watch,” Green said. “We knew what was coming if we didn’t act.”

Last month, a federal judge ordered the frozen BRIC funds to be released to the intended recipients – appropriate timing given the seemingly endless setbacks the project faced for months.

With an expected repair estimated at $3.5 million or more and no funding available, it seemed like no solution would be found in time to prevent a levee collapse – a collapse which had the potential to displace hundreds of Monroe County residents in addition to threatening French Colonial historic sites to the south.

However, a Halloween miracle of sorts provided a timely and cost-effective fix for what seemed like a lost cause. 

On Oct. 31, the Corps of Engineers approved a home-grown solution at only 15 percent of the previous minimum estimated cost.

A retired civil engineer suggested taking the material from the legacy levee to use as fill – a plan approved by the Corps which saved millions in logistic considerations alone.

The scour hole situation is resolved, but Scheibe said the work isn’t finished yet.

He said he will continue to pursue an IEMA grant to develop relief wells on the east – or “residential” side of levees throughout the county, explaining the county levee system would be further bolstered by a relief system.

Other continuing initiatives arising from the scour hole situation include Bost pursuing an overhaul of the FEMA grant system and State Rep. David Friess (R-Red Bud) introducing legislation aimed at overhauling the entire Stringtown District levee system.

“This was about leadership and taking action before disaster struck,” Green concluded. “Our farmers and communities were at risk, and waiting wasn’t an option. By tackling this locally, we saved millions and showed what our community can accomplish together.”

The next Monroe County Board meeting begins at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at the Monroe County Courthouse.