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Flood threat eases for two Central Illinois rivers
By Tony Sapochetti and Bridget Flynn
tsapochetti@pantagraph.com | bflynn@pantagraph.com
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PONTIAC -- After several days of rain, two swollen Central Illinois rivers were headed back below flood stage Tuesday morning as dense fog complicated the morning commute. | Peoria woman swept into storm drain | Photo gallery: Illinois flooding | Ike resurrects flooding fears across Midwest

The Vermilion River at Pontiac crested at 14.99 feet Monday night, according to preliminary measurements from the National Weather Service. The river, with a flood stage of 14 feet, was at 14.75 feet around 4:45 a.m. Tuesday and falling.

Pontiac Mayor Scott McCoy said Monday that those water levels were not unusual for the city during periods of heavy rain. The river rose to around 19 feet in the city during the worst of January’s flooding.

“This is just a normal flooding event that we seem to see every year,” he said. “We don’t expect to have any problems.”

The Mackinaw River, meanwhile, also flooded Monday, but there were no reports of damage or injuries, according to sheriff’s police and the National Weather Service at Lincoln.

At Congerville, the Mackinaw River — flood stage of 13 feet — crested at 18.7 feet Monday before falling to 17.67 feet by around 4:45 a.m. Tuesday.

The fallout for the weekend’s wet weather was worse in the Chicago area, where rain overwhelmed the sewer system and caused widespread flooding, and southern Illinois, where thousands were left without power.

More on the Vermilion

McCoy told the City Council Monday night that no streets were flooded and there were no reports of significant damage other than a tree falling onto Chestnut Street.

Chautauqua Park, Play Park and Humiston Riverside Park flooded, but that is typical when rain swells the river, McCoy said.

The fact that there is no rain in the Central Illinois forecast for the rest of the week should help.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Lowell and Hurricane Ike pushed a great deal of moisture from the Gulf Coast into the atmosphere, causing what seemed to be constant rain from Thursday to Sunday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Merzlock.

Much of central and northern Illinois was under a flood warning Monday, but Merzlock said it was due to slow drainage of existing water, not more expected rain.

“It’s going to be longer than normal simply because there was so much rain,” he said.

From Friday through Sunday, the northwest section of Livingston County, including the area just south of Streator, received upward of 8 inches of rain, Merzlock said. Southeastern Livingston County, such as Fairbury and Chatsworth, received around 5.2 inches during that same time, he said.

McLean County received 5 to 6 inches in the north and 4 to 4.5 inches in the Bloomington-Normal and southern areas over those same three days.

Ryan Denham contributed to this report.

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Reader comments on this story - 11 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

bummer wrote on Sep 16, 2008 7:02 AM:

" Sam..that would be tears of joy. Nice try though. "

Burgerman wrote on Sep 15, 2008 12:34 PM:

" It is better to deal with a little water in the basement, then having the whole house gone like in texas or lousinia. "

tucker wrote on Sep 15, 2008 11:49 AM:

" my back is killing me from sucking water out of our basement with the wet vac....but I guess we should really count ourselves lucky compared to some people. "

itsme wrote on Sep 15, 2008 10:42 AM:

" miskaffon....I'm right there with you! "

Sam Wainwright wrote on Sep 15, 2008 10:00 AM:

" That wasn't rain...it was God crying tears of joy over Sarah Palin's nomination for V.P. Or maybe it was just rain. "

the_goat wrote on Sep 15, 2008 9:52 AM:

" I had about the same as RCS. Just a week ago Sunday I was out watering everything because it was so dry.... I knew this would happen! "

coupie wrote on Sep 15, 2008 8:13 AM:

" miskaffon, I hear ya. Our lower level flooded yesterday too. Best of luck to you! "

smalltowngal wrote on Sep 15, 2008 7:41 AM:

" after new drains were installed down the road from us, we thought we have seen the last of our basement being flooded. How wrong we were once again. Have 2 drains right in front of our home but one is totally useless. Just glad we didnt have much to throw out this time but of course we will be replacing dryer #4 out of the 7 years we lived here ptth "

RCS wrote on Sep 15, 2008 7:06 AM:

" In my location @ Towanda Barnes/RT150, Thursday/Fri. 3inchs with Sat/Sun just under 6 inchs. "

Ummmm wrote on Sep 15, 2008 6:19 AM:

" I hope everyone is able to get back on their feet after the rains. Water in the home is not a good thing. "

miskaffon wrote on Sep 14, 2008 10:26 PM:

" We're still dealing with water in the lower level of our bi-level home. What a mess!! "
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