Flooding disrupts traffic in DuPage
Flooding continued to disrupt traffic and cause other problems Tuesday in several portions of DuPage County, a day after around 4 to 5.5 inches of rain fell over much of the area.
DuPage County Stormwater Management officials said the intense rain late Monday triggered the operation of the Elmhurst Quarry, Spring Creek Reservoir and Fawell Dam. Water elevations continued to rise Monday evening, which triggered the operation of the Wood Dale-Itasca Reservoir just before midnight.
All of the county's 12 gravity operated floodwater facilities also went into operation Monday evening.
DuPage County sheriff's officials reported Route 53 was closed much of the day between Butterfield Road and Park Boulevard near Glen Ellyn because of standing water across the road.
In Naperville, park district officials were keeping a watchful eye on the Riverwalk after the West Branch of the DuPage River swamped several of its lower-level portions - including the area that includes the Sept. 11/Cmdr. Dan Shanower Memorial outside city hall. But they said water levels are "nowhere near" the dangerous heights seen after major storms in the recent past.
Park Operations Manager Chuck Papanos said water levels "seemed to be holding" for much of Tuesday afternoon and a minor adjustment of the Fawell Dam water level, from 5 feet to 6 feet, would further help matters.
"The first goal is to have the water level continue to hold and then start going down," he said. "The lower areas on the Riverwalk, including the Grand Pavilion, the Amphitheater, and sections of the paver path down by Hillside have water covering them."
In Carol Stream, county officials say a $12.5 million flood relief project at Armstrong Park "worked perfectly," even if water covered significant portions of nearby Illini Drive.
Jim Zay, chairman of the county stormwater management planning committee, said the project is only about 85 percent complete and weeks away from officially opening, but officials put it to use Monday night.
Zay said the localized flooding was a result of storm sewers being hooked up to the nearby creek.
"When the creek rises, the water can't go anywhere," he said. "That's a storm sewer issue, not a floodwater issue."