Near Lock and Dam Number 18

Eagle flying near Lock and Dam No. 18, Mississippi River. February 13, 2016. Photo credit: Jim Gilbert.

#Eagle #Bird #Wildlife 

Eagle Near Lock and Dam No. 18

Near Lock and Dam No. 18, Mississippi River. February 13, 2016. Photo credit: Jim Gilbert

#Eagle #Birds #Wildlife #MississippiRiver

Bird Watching Near Lock and Dam 18

Near Lock and Dam No. 18, Mississippi River. February 13, 2016. Photo credit: Jim Gilbert.

#Eagle #Birds #Wildlife

Near Lock and Dam No. 18

Near Lock and Dam No. 18, Mississippi River. Photo credit: Jim Gilbert.

#Eagle #Birds 

At Lock and Dam No. 18

Lock and Dam No. 18, Gladstone, IL. Mississippi River. February 13, 2016. Photo courtesy of Jim Gilbert:

At Lock and Dam No. 18

Lock and Dam No. 18, Gladstone, IL. Mississippi River. February 13, 2016. Photo courtesy of Jim Gilbert:

At Lock and Dam No. 18, Gladstone, IL

At Lock and Dam No. 18, Gladstone, IL. Mississippi River. February 13, 2016. Photo courtesy of Jim Gilbert:

At Lock and Dam No. 18

At Lock and Dam No. 18 on the Mississippi River. February 13, 2016. Photo courtesy of Jim Gilbert:

Eagles in Trees

Lock and Dam No. 18, Gladstone, IL. February 13, 2016. Photo courtesy of Jim Gilbert:

Rural Development Helps Restore Water Supply to Town of Gifford after Devastating Tornado

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Colleen Callahan, Director, Illinois State Office, USDA Rural Development, on April 14, 2014 at 11:45 AM

With landmarks missing it was difficult for even Gifford residents to locate once familiar locations.

Four months after a tornado ripped through the town of Gifford, Illinois, destroying its water tower, 70 homes, and damaging 40 others, visible and emotional aftereffects remain.

On November 17, the day the tornado touched down, I called my colleague and Gifford resident Molly Hammond, who wistfully noted during our conversation, that “Everyone is all right.  But not everything is all right!”

No doubt her sentiments reflected those of Gifford’s other 1,000 residents.

Thankfully no one was killed or seriously harmed.  But town leaders and residents knew they had to move very quickly to restore access to water by rebuilding its water plant and 50,000-gallon water tower.

When the water supply was cut, residents got through the initial stages of the emergency by using a 10,000-gallon tank and borrowed water treatment equipment from nearby communities. However, this Band-Aid approach was only temporary as public health and safety concerns remained.  Most notably, the water treatment equipment is currently located under a tent and efforts to fight a recent fire at a local construction company were hampered by a lack of water pressure.

So it came as very good news indeed when the town learned that it would soon get a $500,000 USDA Rural Development Emergency Community Water Assistance Grant (ECWAG) to help replace the water plant, and another $150,000 ECWAG grant to help construct a new water tower.  “This is absolutely the best news we’ve gotten since the tornado struck,” said village board member Tony Cler.

USDA provides ECWAG grants of up to $500,000 to assist rural communities experiencing a significant decline in the quantity or quality of drinking water due to an emergency such as a drought; earthquake; flood; tornado; hurricane; disease outbreak; or chemical spill, leakage, or seepage.

As circumstance would have it, Gifford was the first entity in the nation to utilize USDA Rural Development’s simplified emergency grant process, which facilitated a quicker review and approval process.  The funding will augment the town’s insurance and other local monies as construction of the water supply infrastructure gets under way, allowing for the town and its residents to recover more quickly from the tornado’s aftermath.

While boarded-over windows, plastic covered roofs and; and felled trees resembling splintered toothpicks dot Gifford’s landscape, good things are happening.  Storm debris is being removed; homes are being repaired; and new ones are being built.

And while not everything is all right just yet, the residents resolve to rebuild – significantly aided by USDA Rural Development funding – signals that it’s just a matter of time before they will be again.

I am glad our funding will help Molly and other residents of Gifford as it continues to heal from last year’s traumatic event. It literally will help our neighbors get back into the flow of life… and water.

What appears to be a circus tent is anything but... rather it's a temporary cover 'protecting' damaged water treatment facility.

Turkey Buzzard

Turkey Buzzard near Carbondale, IL. Photo courtesy of Jim Gilbert.

Disability Integration at Disaster Recovery Centers (ID: 65779)

Marseilles, Ill., May 24, 2013 -- FEMA Disability Integration Advisor David Svir uses sign language to describe the proper use of various visual and auditory aids available inside the DRC to assist people with hearing, visual and language barriers. Disaster Recovery Centers are open across the state of Illinois assisting survivors following the severe storms, straightline winds and flooding that caused damage to thousands of homes in April and May 2013. David Fine/FEMA 

Volunteers Serving Survivors (ID: 65780)

Marseilles, Ill., May 24, 2013 -- Volunteers from others states help tear out material from homes flooded during the recent severe storms and straight-line winds that damaged thousands of homes across Illinois in April and May 2013. David Fine/FEMA 

FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Specialists in Downers Grove (ID: 65784)

Downers Grove, Ill., May 24, 2013 -- FEMA Disaster Assistance Specialists Pat Dalrymple (L), Sue Phillips and Kim Bui encourage participants in the Downers Grove Car Show event to register with FEMA if they suffered flood damage during the recent storms. FEMA is responding to wide spread flooding as a result of severe storms and straight-line winds during April and May 2013. David Fine/FEMA 

16th District Congressman Adam Kinzinger Visits DRC (ID: 65787)

Marseilles, Ill., May 24, 2013 -- Congressman Adam Kinzinger visits the disaster recovery center (DRC) with DRC Manager Paul Buffington in Marseilles, Illinois to get a first hand look at how FEMA DRC's work to assist survivors following the storms. FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers are open across the state of Illinois assisting survivors following the severe storms, straightline winds and flooding that caused damage to thousands of homes in April and May 2013. David Fine/FEMA 

Illinois EPA Responds to Chemical Spill into Prairie Creek Resulting in Fish Kill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 25, 2012 Illinois EPA Responds to Chemical Spill into Prairie Creek Resulting in Fish Kill SPRINGFIELD –Illinois EPA emergency responders and water quality specialists are in Tazewell County again today in response to yesterday’s release into Prairie Creek, on Allentown Road west of the Village of Allentown, of several hundred gallons of a mixture of 28 percent nitrogen and 13.3 percent of an herbicide containing Atrazine. The address is reported to be 24815 Allentown Road. In addition, approximately 60 gallons of diesel fuel were released in the vehicle accident that caused the release. The spill resulted in a large and “complete” fish kill downstream of the incident site. Along with the Morton and Pekin fire departments and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois EPA continues to monitor the situation, and is collecting periodic samples to determine how quickly the chemical is moving downstream and the effectiveness of the remedial measures being taken. The Illinois EPA cautions anyone using the water from Prairie Creek between the spill site and the Mackinaw River (approximately eight miles) as drinking water for animals, recreation or any other purpose to avoid the area until the water is determined to be safe through testing.  While concentrations of the chemicals appear “milky” in the water, the chemicals can still be dangerous even after the water appears to be clears.

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IEPA Grants Variance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 12, 2012    Illinois EPA grants DeKalb Sanitary District Provisional Variance from Permit Requirements Springfield—The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) has granted the DeKalb Sanitary District a provisional variance from certain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) water discharge permit conditions, in order to complete necessary repairs to the rotary distributor of the #2 trickling filter.   The DeKalb Sanitary District requested the variance in order to rebuild the rotary distributor, including bearings and seals. The distributor arms must be dismantled to achieve repairs. While the trickling filter is out of service the District will not be able to meet certain effluent limits and design maximum flow. The DeKalb Sanitary District is the designated authority for planning, collection and treatment of wastewater in DeKalb Township, Afton Township and parts of Cortland Township.  The District currently serves approximately 55,000 users.  The District receives and treats all wastewater at its Main wastewater treatment plant.  The DeKalb Sanitary District must continue to meet all other effluent conditions in its NPDES permit and must operate the treatment plant to produce the best effluent possible at all times. In addition, the District must closely monitor the Kishwaukee River and immediately notify the Agency of any adverse environmental impacts as a result of this discharge. The Illinois EPA has determined that any environmental impact from the variance must be closely monitored, and the Agency must be notified immediately of any adverse impacts; no reasonable alternative appears to be available; no public water supplies will be affected; no federal regulations would prohibit granting the request; and the facility would face an arbitrary and unreasonable hardship if the Agency did not grant the requested variance.  The provisional variance will end no later than April 13, 2012.

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