U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Congressman Don Manzullo, and Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey signed a flood risk feasibility study for the Alpine Dam.

It's a move that will bring in the Army Corps of Engineers to determine whether work needs to be done to improve the dam.

Durbin says, "11,000 people have homes down stream from this dam. About a third of them are in danger if we don't make a change here. Some have already suffered the damage of floods and we want to make sure we do everything in our power, reasonably, to avoid that in the future."

The study comes after two floods on the south branch of Keith Creek last year. City leaders say this is a good first step.