The Illinois River recreation season gets drowned out

  PEORIA, Ill. (AP) - Flooding along the Illinois River this summer has dampened recreational activities. Marina owners, boat shop workers and campground managers along the river in central Illinois say the high waters have made the season a wash out. National Marine owner Pat Ward in Peoria Heights calls it "a disaster." The National Weather Service has regularly issued flood warnings for the river this summer. Tuesday warnings stretch from north of Peoria to the Mississippi River with Havana and Beardstown particularly hard hit. The river was closed to recreational boating from June 19 to July 24. Starved Rock State Park superintendent Kerry Novak says mud deposited by Illinois River flooding is 7 to 8 inches thick in some areas.