Rushford levees need $1 million

Flooded car
A van shows the depth of water outside a home in Rushford during the August 2007 floods.
MPR photo/Mark Steil

City officials in Rushford have learned that the levees protecting need more than $1 million in improvements for recertification by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Project consultants told the City Council on Monday that digging seepage trenches along significant portions of the levee system is among the necessary work. Other improvements include raising a section of Highway 43 that is part of the levee system.

The Winona Daily News reports one state agency has indicated it could help the city fund the work.

Flood damage reduction program manager Pat Lynch says the Department of Natural Resources should be able to disperse up to $240,000 in previously allocated 2007 disaster funds that have been returned.

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Information from: Winona Daily News