Coalition of towns in the Illinois Valley going after money to fight floods

Towns in the Illinois Valley don’t always work together but they are when it comes to being better prepared for the next big flood.

Cities along the Illinois River in La Salle, Grundy, Bureau, Marshall, Putnam and Stark Counties have formed the Illinois Valley Flood Resiliency Alliance. With the help of North Central Illinois Council of Governments and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the alliance is going after federal grant money. There’s about a billion dollars in money available but locals are competing against the rest of the country.

Senator Rezin started last year getting towns together to be more proactive with fighting floods. Forming an alliance or coalition was a first step in becoming eligible for the national grant program.

You can find out more about it at a meeting starting at 5pm Monday inside Ottawa’s city hall.