Repaired Naperville nature center offers fresh look at river ecosystem

Water is once again something to celebrate at Knoch Knolls Nature Center in Naperville.

The center reopened Monday after nine weeks of repairs to fix flood damage caused by a March 30 sewer backup.

The sewer issue filled the 5,000-square-foot facility with two inches of water and required fixes to the system aimed at preventing future backups from occurring.

Now the $6 million facility is back in action for summer hours, complete with an exhibit about the importance of water in the local river ecosystem, a theme of "celebrating water," a 900-gallon fish tank and interpretive signs about the Knoch Knolls park environment.

Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, the nature center is home to several camps for kids ages 3 to 12 along with campouts for kids and families.

The building at 320 Knoch Knolls Road opened in October 2014 as the first staffed nature center within Naperville Park District.

It was built as the district conducted a series of recreational improvements on its largest and most biologically diverse park, a 224-acre area where the east and west branches of the DuPage River meet.