1927 Farm Creek flood
Between May 18-19, 1927, the areas surrounding Farm Creek, near East Peoria, Illinois, endured over five inches of rainfall in a six hour period. The ensuing flood brought catastrophic damage to the city of East Peoria, causing multiple fatalities and leading to renewed calls for flood control in the area.
Farm Creek
Farm Creek is a tributary of the Illinois River, flowing southwest through Tazewell County and directly through East Peoria. Its watershed spans nearly sixty square miles of mostly rural and suburban land. The creek featured glacial moraines and alluvial plains composed of highly erodible soils with steep banks, making it prone to rapid water flow and depth change. There had been earlier concerns regarding flash floods around the creek, leading to local leaders developing limited channelization plans around East Peoria. While this early planning mitigated the risk of flooding, these channels were insufficient and largely reactive.
The Farm Creek Section, located near the creek’s banks, is a nationally recognized geologic site. In 1879, renowned geologist Frank Leverett traveled to East Peoria to study the exposed bluffs of the creek. He was able to identify clear glacial stratification layers, something that had only been done a few time in North America.
Flood
On May 18, 1927, a large thunderstorm arose over Central Illinois, covering over 1,100 square miles, and unleashing torrential rain that over-saturated the land. An astonishing 500 million cubic feet of water surged through the creek in a torrent moving at a speed nearly triple that of the nearby Illinois River. Local citizen Claude Hinton was one of the first to notice this nearly ten foot wall of water racing toward town. He immediately drove into town in an effort to warn other citizens, shouting "Flood, flood!", although some did not heed his notice, confident in their channel system.
The flood soon reached downtown East Peoria, destroying everything in its path. Three bridges were destroyed, and three feet of water remained over the entirety of the city, flooding nearly every structure, with some streets closer the river experiencing twenty foot sustained flooding. City Hall was destroyed, over two dozen school children were stranded on a school house rooftop, and over three-hundred vehicles were swept into the Illinois River. Two citizens were killed in the flood, including a man who was electrocuted and an infant. The city suffered a total of $1.5 million in damages.
Aftermath
After the floods, East Peoria created the Sanitary District (1928), issuing bonds to dredge Farm Creek and reinforce/upgrade levees. Despite these improvements, flood risks persisted in East Peoria. In 1943, the Illinois River backed up into the creek, leading to Caterpillar employees and volunteers to form sand bag barriers along the creek to protect their town. Their efforts were recognized by President Roosevelt. From 1949 to 1951, a major civil-engineering project built two dry reservoirs/dams—Fondulac and Farmdale—along with improved channels to control storm surges and protect East Peoria. Since these improvements, East Peoria has seen no major flooding events arising from Farm Creek.