Carol Stream stormwater management project gains steam

A long-awaited stormwater management project intended to help ease flooding in Carol Stream has taken a step closer to getting off the ground.

The village board Monday voted 5-0 to approve an intergovernmental agreement among the village, the park district and DuPage County that authorizes construction of water reservoirs and a pumping station at Armstrong Park.

Carol Stream leaders petitioned the county to fund flood control efforts in town after major storms in 2008 and 2010 left many homes and streets near the park flooded. Last September, the county board authorized spending $5 million for the Armstrong Park project.

Since then, officials from the three governmental entities have tried to hammer out a deal that lays out specifics for the work. Now that the village board has given its OK to the project, the park district and county boards are expected to consider the agreement next week.

Plans include construction of the pump storage facility with two reservoirs of 15 and 100 acre-feet, and a 60-inch-diameter siphon that would release stormwater from the reservoirs to a downstream point in Klein Creek.

Under the agreement, the reservoirs will be constructed to have additional storage capacity of up to 13 acre-feet to handle stormwater runoff from proposed park district recreational projects, which could include raising the elevation of ball fields. The park district would have to pay for the additional capacity.

The stormwater management facility would be in part on two parcels currently owned by the park district, and part of a parcel owned by the village. The village will transfer its 14.75-acre portion to the park district under the agreement.

Though the county will oversee the project, its final design is subject to the approval of the village and park district.

Other project components include:

Ÿ Demolition of the Aldrin Community Center building, which had already been part of park district plans for Armstrong Park.

Ÿ Resurfacing of the nearby parking lot and replacement of trees, if necessary, after construction. A new walking path will be also installed where the existing path is to be removed.

Ÿ Closing of the Gretna train station museum to the public until project construction is complete.

The county has already authorized two firms to begin work on the project’s design, but that has been held up while the county, park district and village worked on the intergovernmental agreement.

Sarah Ruthko, the county’s project engineer, said design and permitting is expected to take a year, and officials hope construction could begin by next summer.