Mount Prospect could spend $24 million to reduce flooding

A Mount Prospect study commissioned after last summer’s record rains flooded hundreds of homes indicates the village and residents could wind up sharing the cost of nearly $24 million in sewer system improvements.

The proposed work, which would include installation of overhead sewers for almost 400 homes, would prepare the village for a 25-year storm, but still come up short with a record rainfall like the July 23 storm described as a “400-year event.”

A system capable of handling that kind of storm, said village engineering consultant Randy Patchett, would cost more than $200 million.

“The village cannot afford to pay for all of this,” Trustee Paul Hoeffert said. “You know what the economy is like. You know how we are struggling just to operate the village. To think that we could spend $200 million or even $50 million — it just can’t happen. We don’t have the ability to do that. We would bankrupt ourselves.”

The study was made public Tuesday when village trustees met as a committee of the whole and opened discussions on how to prevent, or at least reduce, the flooding residents experienced last year.

Prepared by the engineering firm Burns & McDonnell, the study included 510 on-site visits to homes and 148 phone interviews with residents.

It found that as a result of the July 23 storm, there were 399 sanitary backups into basements, 177 reports of seepage through basement walls and foundations and 142 sump pump failures. There were 96 reports of street and yard flooding at the same address, 101 reports of street flooding only and 107 reports of yard flooding only. Overall, there were 658 documented instances of flooding.

Basins with the highest reports of flooding were in the Hatlen Heights subdivision, Lonnquist Boulevard, Isabella Street and Highland Street.

The study also showed that 31 of the village’s 107 sewer basins experienced no flooding.

“The significance of this is that it does imply that the sewer systems in these basins have the ability to handle a 400-year event or greater,” Patchett said. “And that’s a pretty significant portion.”

Under the proposed system update, the village would pick up almost $15 million of the tab, while owners of the properties impacted by the work would foot the cost of the remaining nearly $10 million.

Residents affected by last year’s flooding did not react warmly to that suggestion Tuesday, saying they’ve been asked to share the cost when improvements benefited other neighborhoods.

“Even though it’s going to be an improvement in one particular area, it’s a communitywide responsibility, because of the way improvements have been made in the past,” said Thomas Snyder, who lives on South Emerson Street.

Although trustees immediately dismissed any talk of pursuing the $200 million project, they said the village would sink significant resources into reducing flooding and sewer backups.

“We are going to end up having to go ahead and spend a lot of money,” Trustee A. John Korn said. “We’re not going to solve all the problems overnight ... But we’re working on it. And I promise you we’re going to continue working on it.”

Trustee Steven Polit said the entire village is going to have to feel the pain.

“There are people who did not have flooding that are also going to be part of the solution,” he said. “I hope they will accept the societal reasoning for what we have to do.”

Village officials are expected to resume discussions on the subject at a May 22 meeting.