Author: SRYC Comms Team

9am update from the Lasalle County Highway Department:
“Dee Bennett Road is CLOSED due to flooding.  Ben Samek Road near the Peru landfill is expected to be CLOSED by noon Wednesday, December 30th.  Both roads will remain closed through the weekend until the water receeds and ice is cleared.”

Eyes are on the Illinois River today, December 30th, as the water levels are predicted to crest about 6pm tonight. Unfortunately, the crest is expected  to reach a level that would place it in the record book as one of the top 5 all-time high water marks. One of those records was also in the month of December, in 2008.

The closing of Dee Bennett Road would not come as a surprise, but we’ll need to wait and see. As of 8am Wednesday, there has been no word from the County Highway Department or the news media.

East Peoria Boat Club has postponed the Polar Ice Plunge until January 30th. You might recall that Miss Riverbottom was postponed, then finally cancelled, due to high water last summer at the same location.

Below the dam, water levels are expected to rise by 10 to 15 feet above normal pool at La Salle, Henry and Peoria.

News links:
Voluntary evacuation in Marseilles — “This is the new normal …”
Mississippi closed to all traffic near St. Louis
Midwest flood update from the Chicago Tribune

 

 

 

The boating community gives generously to multiple charities this time of year. You should be proud!

East Peoria Boat Club hosts the Polar Ice Plunge at their marina on Friday, January 1st. Proceeds benefit local charities.

The annual Penguin Plunge returns on Saturday, January 9th, to Heritage Harbor in Ottawa. Sponsors, teams and individuals combine forces to work toward a goal of $100,000 this year, to be donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. SRYC has raised $1,000 for this event.

SRYC Charities is proud to announce Continue reading “Boaters Give to Charities”

For years, venturing out on the Great Lakes required carrying a “visual distress signal” device on your boat — and that meant flares. Unfortunately, flares expire and need to be replaced every few years. (Usually, they expire just prior to your Coast Guard inspection!) But can you rely on flares to actually work in an emergency? Now an electronic device can take their place. The Coast Guard has approved the Sirius SOS Distress Light for use in place of flares. Continue reading “What’s New in Boating Tech?”