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Algonquin pushes back against floodwaters as river begins retreat

Bombarded by a record volume of floodwater, Algonquin residents have been punching back all weekend.

Barring a significant amount of additional rainfall, their exhausting fight should be easing up in the coming days.

According to the National Weather Service, the Fox River crested at 13.06 feet Saturday and was declining before another line of storms swept through the area Sunday. Tree limbs were downed, debris blocked roadways and water levels rose to about 13.11 feet, said Assistant Village Manager Mike Kumbera.

A few hours later, he said, the river had begun receding again, and it is expected to continue dropping over the next week.

Among the homeowners who've been fighting the flood for more than a week now are Jeremy and Jennifer Chrostowski, whose home on Winaki Trail was surrounded Sunday by a fortress of sandbags.

Jeremy Chrostowski said they used about 3,000 sandbags to build the 3- to 4-feet high wall protecting their home in the Algonquin Shores neighborhood.

"We have been fighting it for about a week, but we have done a really good job of staying ahead of it," with the help of friends, neighbors and the local fire department, he said.

At first, water found its way around the bags and knocked them over. But the wall was rebuilt and the breach secured. Pumps outside and in the home's basement have staved off the worst effects of the flood.

"We didn't sustain any property damage other than a muddy lawn," he said.

The couple has not only retained their home, but their love of their surroundings. They say they would never dream of moving.

"I have been on the river my whole entire life. It's beautiful," Jennifer Chrostowski said.

Other residents on Winaki Trail were not so fortunate.

Bobbi Banks said her daughter's house had water up to her front yard, and on Saturday a tree fell down.

Throughout the weekend, Algonquin residents and people from neighboring communities rushed to help.

"We had (volunteers) come in from Wisconsin, from Schaumburg, from Buffalo Grove, from Vernon Hills," Village President John Schmitt said. "We ran out of places to put their cars."

Algonquin Township loaned a bus to take volunteers to the riverfront to help residents sandbag around their houses, he added. Nearly 500 volunteers turned out by 1 p.m. on Saturday. By Sunday, volunteer operations were suspended.

But representatives from the Salvation Army were in downtown Algonquin on Sunday, including cadet Jack Huffman.

"It's great to see the community has come out in the way they have to get the sandbags in place, because it has definitely prevented a lot of property damage," he said.

Among the most affected areas was La Fox River Drive, near the Algonquin Road bridge, a street lined with historic homes. At the end of the street was a building with pink flamingos.

Resident Shawn Scanlon called them his "lucky flamingos." Luck was on his side early Saturday morning when floodwaters scaled the sandbags in front of his home, but a 4-inch pump supplied by a Lake in the Hills paving company saved the day.

The weather outlook bodes well for Scanlon and others along the river. Following the storms that pushed through the area Sunday afternoon, forecasters predict dry weather at least until Thursday and then again all next weekend.

Fox River towns further downstream are dealing with less severe flooding.

In South Elgin, several parks and facilities, including SEBA, Panton Mill and Lions parks, remained partially flooded and closed to the public Sunday. Homes along River and Water streets still had standing water in their yards, and the bike path also was closed.

Last week's storms and heavy rain left standing water on neighborhood streets and caused power outages throughout Elgin, Assistant Fire Chief Bryan McMahan said.

"We got more rain in a short amount of time than I'd ever seen," he said.

By Sunday, he said, cleanup efforts were well underway, and most of the power had been restored.

Some of the low-lying areas of the city have been affected by the Fox River's high water levels, McMahan added, but Elgin hasn't been as severely affected as some of their neighbors.

"We definitely have not been as hard-hit with the flood as everybody north of us," he said.

In St. Charles, the Illinois Street bridge and the Indiana Street pedestrian bridge were closed this weekend because of the rising Fox River water levels, city officials said. The bridges are expected to remain closed until midweek, depending on how quickly the river drops, City Administrator Mark Koenen said.

"We continue to monitor the situation and will reopen the structures as soon as conditions safely allow it," he said.

Just south of St. Charles, Geneva has not experienced much flooding related to the storms and elevated Fox River water levels, city spokesman Kevin Stahr said. The Fox River Trail and Island Park remain closed, however.

• Daily Herald staff writer Lauren Rohr contributed to this story.

  Jeremy and Jennifer Chrostowski of Algonquin are keeping the flooded Fox River at bay with a wall of sandbags and several pumps. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
  Fox River floodwaters rush around a mail box on Winaki Trail in Algonquin. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
  A wall of sandbags protects an Algonquin home from the flooded Fox River on Sunday. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.comA heron doesn't seem to mind the floodwater along La Fox River Drive in Algonquin on Sunday.
Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.comFox River floodwaters surround a home on Winaki Trail in Algonquin on Sunday.
  A picnic area at Lions Park in South Elgin is flooded after a series of storms caused water levels on the Fox River to rise. SEBA, Panton Mill and Lions parks were all partially flooded or closed Sunday. Lauren Rohr/lrohr@dailyherald.com
  Water from the Fox River flooded parts of Lions Park in South Elgin on Sunday. Lauren Rohr/lrohr@dailyherald.com
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