Briarcliffe Lakes flood study to continue in Wheaton
An engineering firm will continue examining ways to relieve flooding in Wheaton's Briarcliffe Lakes area, after the Wheaton City Council approved an amendment to the company's existing contract Monday.
The city has been working with Rosemont-based Christopher B. Burke Engineering to determine the most cost-effective solution to flooding in the Briarcliffe Lakes system, which is part of the east branch of the DuPage River watershed.
A study presented to the council earlier this year by Burke determined a bypass flood relief storm sewer pipe connecting one of the lakes in the area to a drainage channel would be most cost-effective.
However, the study identified several other tasks that need to be completed before the city moves ahead with the best option, including further studies on the downstream impacts, including Rice Lake in the Danada Forest Preserve, which is where the tributary drains.
The council agreed to pay Burke $31,800 to continue the engineering efforts and present another report in October. The firm will determine the downstream stormwater flood impacts and develop a concept-level plan and cost estimate for the proposed relief storm sewer project.
Two residents spoke at the meeting Monday, including Peggy Rismussen, whose basement flooded to the ceiling in 2013. She asked for a more definitive timeline for when changes would go into effect and asked what "plan B" might be if the solutions presented don't work.
Residents from the Briarcliffe Lakes area have been asking the city to mitigate flooding for several years. If flooding cannot be mitigated, they have asked the city to help buy their properties, due to recurring flooding.
Paul Redman, the city's director of engineering, said buyouts are still an option if they are cost-effective, but he is hopeful that any problems that might come up will be resolved with the additional study. He added that the city should have a better understanding of the solutions for Briarcliffe Lakes by the end of this year.
"I think this will be even more technical," he said of the additional work Burke is doing. "It's really determining the engineering, and making sure the (DuPage County Forest Preserve) District is on board."
Redman added that home inspections with Federal Emergency Management Agency criteria still need to be done to determine if the city is eligible for grants to help pay for whatever solution the city chooses.
Councilman Todd Scalzo said he realizes the flood mitigation process has been slow, tedious and frustrating for residents.
"I do appreciate the patience of the residents," he said. "If we could just send everything downstream we would, but there's now laws in place that say we can't do that, and that's what this additional study is for."
Another resident, Gary Burge, thanked the council for their continued work on the problem.
"Our community feels genuinely grateful to the council for the care and diligence with which you have applied yourself to this particular situation in Briarcliffe," he said. "It would have been very easy for council to figure, well, this is just one problem that's part of mother nature, and you haven't done that."