MONROE COUNTY, Ill. - The beautiful canvas of farmland along the border of Monroe and Randolph Counties has a glaring problem: a scour hole inching toward the Stringtown Levee.

“That is an undercurrent that is coming from the [Mississippi] river, going under the ground, and it is cutting away the clay of the Mississippi…the riverside of the levee. But eventually what it's doing is it keeps cutting and it keeps cutting towards the levee,” said Kevin Scheibe, Monroe County’s Public Safety Director for Emergency Management and 911.

Scheibe said the current will eventually run beneath the levee, compromising its integrity. Then, the next time the Mississippi River rises, the levee could fail, endangering property, livestock, historical sites and the residents of Monroe and Randolph Counties. 

Depending on how high the Mississippi River gets, the flooding could continue north or south from Monroe County.

Illinois State Representative David Friess has come alongside Scheibe, warning of the danger and advocating to governmental agencies for the funding to repair the problem, which is funds the Stringtown Levee District is lacking. 

However, both he and Schiebe expressed frustration in their efforts, describing a lack of urgency when answering their pleas.

“IEMA, FEMA, Corps of Engineers,” Friess said. “They've all said this isn't our job because we don't have the authorization to be proactive and to fix this situation and fix the scour hole. But don't worry, when the levee blows, we will be there for you.”

Friess encourages the public to reach out to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office to help secure emergency funding to resolve this issue before it’s too late.

“I believe he's got the authorization,” Friess told FOX 2. “To get this done, get this fixed.”

FOX 2 reached out to the governmental agencies relevant to this scour hole, inquiring about its future. 

A representative from Governor Pritzker’s office directed the newsroom’s request to IEMA, which has yet to issue a response. 

FEMA answered, needing more time to investigate before commenting. The Army Corps of Engineers has not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.