Flood-prone Lake Zurich subdivision fares well with weekend rain
Flood-control work at the Cedar Creek subdivision in Lake Zurich passed a test posed by fierce weekend storms that caused damage elsewhere in the Chicago area, village officials said Monday.
No problems were reported in the flood-prone area, where village improvements have been made over the past couple of years, Public Works Manager Michael Brown said. It helped that about 3 inches of rain was spread over a 24-hour period from Saturday through Sunday in Lake Zurich, he said.
An extremely humid and unstable air mass triggered severe storms, damaging winds and flooding in areas of northern Illinois during the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. Flood waters Saturday night forced the closure of a section of the Edens Expressway in the Winnetka area, and winds knocked down trees in and around Hanover Park and Hoffman Estates.
Lake Zurich didn't get slammed like other towns, but Brown said the Cedar Creek drainage improvements "definitely stood tall" in what was considered to be a good test.
"It's not going to fight against the 125-year storm, for sure, but it should be able to keep up in the normal rain situation," he said of the flood-control efforts.
Cedar Creek experienced its worst flooding in June 2013 after a 6.63-inch deluge in roughly four hours. No injuries were reported, but some residents in Lake Zurich's southeast-side neighborhood evacuated their homes and scrambled to move cars to higher ground.
Rather than committing to an improvement package estimated at $1.7 million, Lake Zurich has pursued what officials said would be much more affordable measures to help Cedar Creek. The village dedicated $500,000 in the 2015-16 budget to address the issue.
The work has included stormwater collection improvements and installing a system that sends text or email alerts warning of potential flood conditions.
Trustee Jim Beaudoin said he's proud the village board took steps to understand what happened at Cedar Creek in 2013.
"We met with the residents and developed a cost-effective, practical solution to improving the drain flow within the village and Cedar Creek," Beaudoin said.
In May 2010, flooding was reported at Cedar Creek after 2.5 to 3.5 inches of rain fell in Lake and eastern McHenry counties. Some residents complained after the 2013 flood about how water typically backed up from storm sewers onto the street in heavy rain.
As part of the proposed $1.7 million in improvements from Manhard Consulting Inc. of Vernon Hills, the ultimate fix for the Cedar Creek area would involve deepening a detention basin by at least 5 feet to protect against a theoretical 100-year, 24-hour rainfall. Lake Zurich Mayor Thomas Poynton said the idea remains under consideration, but the village cannot afford it right now.