State steps in to fund flood cleanup at Starved Rock

OGLESBY – Debris cleanup at Starved Rock will begin within the next few weeks, weather permitting. After recent flooding, piles of tree branches, trunks, oil dumpsters and channel buoys infiltrated the banks of the Illinois River at Starved Rock. Site Superintendent Kerry Novak says park staff spent most of last week scrapping piles of dirt from parking lots, but now its become too much to handle. Springfield will intervene to fund the clean up through their emergency funds, generated through license plate fees. Novak says its up to the weather to comply with plans. He says the longer the river stays up, the more junk it deposits.