Indiana town takes steps to shore up sliding hillside

NEWBURGH, Ind. — A southwestern Indiana hillside that began slipping after heavy rains and flooding along the Ohio River last year is being stabilized with new pilings.

The hillside above Newburgh’s Old Lock & Dam has been off limits to the public since May 1, 2011. The slide endangered two lockmaster cottages built in 1928 that are included in the town’s historic district.

The Evansville Courier & Press reports the McKinney Drilling Co. is drilling 40 holes that will be filled with steel cages and cement to create the pilings.

The hillside is a popular viewing spot for the town’s annual fireworks show.

Most of the $510,000 repair cost will be paid for with a $380,000 federal grant from the Emergency Watershed Program overseen by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.