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Kampsville, Illinois PROJECT BACI<GROUND The Village of Kampsville is a small tourist-based community in west central Illinois. The Village is home to the Center for American Archeaology, which attracts visitors from across the Nation. The Village is located about 15 miles north of the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers and is along the Great Rivers National Seenic Byway, designated in 1999. The location of the Village, confined between the Illinois River and its forested bluffs, makes it extremely flood-prone. Prior to the Great Flood of 1993, the Village had experienced many repetitive floods, with the most severe damage occurring in 1973. The 1993 flood inundated almost the entire Village for months, causing substantial damage to over a dozen buildings. MITIGATION MEASURES EMPLOYED Following the 1973 flood, which was then the worst on record, the Village received a grant from FEMA and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (then lOOT) to acquire flood damaged structures. The Village acquired 34 structures using FEMA, IONR, and illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs funding. This initial mitigation project cleared much of the repetitive flood areas in the Village by acquiring structures located in the lowest portion of the floodplain. Following the 1993 flood, the Village utilized FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to acquire several additional structures that were not acquired in the 1973 buyout. With matching funds provided by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, the Village acquired an additional 13 properties. The acquired properties are all dedicated to open space. The Village also received funding to develop a Hazard Mitigation Plan to address all hazards in the area. The Mitigation Plan was updated following the 1993 buyout. PROJECT BENEFITS The success of the 1973 buyout program was obvious during the 1993 flood. Although several structures flooded in 1993, the severe damage in 1973 would have been repeated and greatly intensified had there not been a buyout project implemented. In 1993 there was a significant reduction in damage to homes. The benefits of an open floodplain were clearly evident in this Village which experiences repetitive flooding. The benefits of an open floodplain influenced other communities and organizations as well. Following the 1993 flood, Kampsville's mayor encouraged nearby communities to in1plement at buyout, saying it was, " the hardest thing the village had ever done but also the best thing the Village had ever done". The reuse of the land is also beneficial to the Village. To serve tourists, the Village has created a riverfront campground in one area of the buyout with gravel pads and an unobstructed view of the River. PROJECT COST $382,200 (1973) $269,325 (1993) - $182,732 in FEMA-HMGP (75%); $86,593 in Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs funds (25%)