MILLER CITY, Ill. (AP) — Early-winter flooding that affected several Illinois counties has left behind a scarred landscape in Alexander County in southern Illinois.
The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reports debris piles and massive sand deposits were left behind after waters went through the breach of the Len Small Levee.
The Jan. 1 levee breach intensified flooding. Danette Cross is a Natural Resources Conservation Service district conservationist. Cross says that when the leave breaks, water rushes in and brings along sand and debris.
Cross says piles of trees and other debris and differing levels of sand cover as many as 17,000 acres. Sand covering fields ranges from roughly 6 inches to about 6 feet, and the topsoil was taken away by flooding in other areas.