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The completion of a project to control underseepage along the Wood River Levee that runs adjacent to the Mississippi River marks the latest effort to address a crucial flood prevention tool that hasn’t always held up during the region’s worst floods.

Five dozen communities in Southern Illinois account for a third of the reported sanitary sewer overflows in the state in the last decade. But with low revenues, population declines, and bureaucratic delays, solutions are hard to come by. Meanwhile, residents face property damage flooded yards and basements and governments that still haven’t fixed the problem.

The Metro East suburb, long plagued by an aging and damaged sewer system backing up and flooding into homes and streets, requires more state and federal funding to continue repairs of its sewer and water systems.

U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski criticized Republican leaders, who she blamed for the cuts while drawing attention to the impact on Metro East communities.

Another round of torrential rain and flash flooding was coming Saturday for parts of the South and Midwest already heavily waterlogged by days of severe storms that also spawned some deadly tornadoes. St. Louis, Jefferson, Franklin, Phelps and other Missouri counties are under a flood warning.

This aid is separate from the $89.5 million St. Clair County received in January for disaster recovery from flooding in July 2024.

Whether the money would actually make it to St. Clair County came into question when President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on federal aid. However, the White House rescinded the order Wednesday.

The July 16 storm dropped 8 inches of rain. Although it's not clear how county officials will use the money, the federal dollars could be used to develop affordable housing, help small businesses, repair roads.

In addition to millions in repairs, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Justice and the state will require the city to pay a $30,000 penalty.

In a court filing, Cahokia Heights residents want a federal judge to allow their claims for damages and claims related to flooding issues to proceed. The city's work with federal agencies is limited to the sewer system and will not address flooding concerns.