PEORIA, Ill. — A 2,000-foot sandbag wall on Peoria’s Riverfront was put up last week to keep the Illinois River’s floodwaters at bay. The river crested last Friday at 27.91 feet, but a flood warning remains in effect.
Peoria Public Works’ Sie Maroon said crews will be removing a portion of the wall in front of the River Station to accommodate nearby businesses.
“Starting Friday, with the opening up of restaurants and bars, they’ll be able to go outside with some outdoor seating. It’s a section of the wall that we can build up pretty quickly, if we start to see a turn around in the weather,” Maroon said.
Maroon said the wall on the backside of the River Station will remain in place for a period of time, as a precaution.
“We’ll probably take a closer look at it next week, the first part of the week. So, then we can gauge what’s happening with the forecast. If it looks good, then we’ll start a removal.”
Flooding remains a threat in Peoria as showers and thunderstorms are in the forecast through Thursday. As of Wednesday morning, the Illinois River stood at 26.36 feet. Flood stage is 18 feet.
