Firm to study fixes for Klein Creek erosion

Carol Stream homeowners have tried to block erosion from encroaching into their backyards along sections of Klein Creek and one of its tributaries.

Those barriers - rocks, retaining walls, pieces of plastic - are temporary and can cause even more problems, village engineers say.

But a new study by consultants will recommend a long-term solution for the creek's eroding banks, says Jim Knudsen, Carol Stream's engineering services director.

The village board has awarded a contract of up to $59,861 to Engineering Resource Associates, a firm that also will estimate the cost of fixes and compile information for grant applications.

The consultants will study a major portion of Klein Creek, from Gary Avenue and Lies Road south to North Avenue. A second firm is designing a project to address erosion on a stretch of Thunderbird Creek from Kehoe Boulevard and Gerzevske Lane west to Gary Avenue.

Klein Creek travels at relatively low speeds. But vegetation along the shoreline lacks roots strong enough to hold the soil in place. A thick tree canopy that blocks the sun also can keep plants from growing roots, Knudsen wrote in a memo to the board.

There are human causes, too. Knudsen warns against dumping grass clippings and other debris into the creek, all of which can hurt vegetation on the banks. Some segments have seen little erosion while other areas have lost about 10 to 15 feet of stream bank over time, Knudsen said.

"And so people's properties have been lost," he said. "They've lost a significant portion of their rear yards."

ComEd approached several homeowners last month about granting easements, some of which would allow crews to relocate utility poles compromised by erosion. Knudsen cited cases where erosion has exposed buried utility lines or caused poles to topple into the creek.

At least "dozens" of homes, in addition to park district land and other public properties, surround eroded banks under review by the consultants, Knudsen said.

The firm is expected to hold town hall meetings and conduct an online survey of property owners to gauge interest in a project that Knudsen said would look "very similar" to work underway at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, where crews are restoring the banks of the DuPage River's East Branch.

In Carol Stream, consultants will develop recommendations that meet federal, state and county regulations for "impaired waterways" such as Klein Creek. The plan likely would involve adding root wads and native plants to stabilize the shores, among other "green" infrastructure.

Trees would be "greatly limited" to provide adequate sunlight for deep-rooted plants, Knudsen wrote in the memo.

Knudsen estimates that, "at best," construction wouldn't begin until 2019, if the village decided to proceed. Next year, consultants tentatively plan to prepare an application for an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency grant that would fund the lion's share of the project's cost.

The village has unsuccessfully applied in the past, but the state agency has changed its criteria for the money.

"We're looking forward to this challenging project," Knudsen said. "And we'd really like to be able to address all this erosion that's been occurring over the years."