Can consultants help prevent future floods in Mundelein?
At a meeting after the storm, Mayor Steve Lentz promised residents who expressed frustration about repeated floods in their houses and on their streets that officials would swiftly investigate the problem and look for ways to prevent future damage.
"It was heartbreaking to hear the residents' flood stories," Lentz said. "So many lost so much."
The studies are the first steps toward actual improvements, Trustee Ray Semple said. Any repairs will be expensive, Semple said, but they can't be deferred indefinitely.
"Some village board will need to step up and take action," he said. "I think the time is now."
An Iowa engineering firm called HR Green Inc. is being considered for the stormwater study. It will focus on the houses and businesses near Route 45 and Division Street, a neighborhood that experienced severe flooding last month.
The goal is to analyze where stormwater goes in that part of town and develop "several levels of solutions" to prevent future flooding, according to a memo from Public Works Director Adam Boeche. If approved, the study could cost $34,000.
HR Green has done other stormwater-related projects in Mundelein, including deepening part of the channel that's known as the Seavey drainage ditch and is designed to alleviate flooding in town.
Additionally, the board may hire Wheaton-based RJN Group to study the town's sanitary sewers.
After the storm hit, village officials received more than 20 complaints of sanitary sewer backups, according to a memo from RJN.
The company will use flow meters to study how sewage moves through the underground pipe system in both wet and dry weather. Rain gauges will be used to gather data, too, the company said.
If approved, the RJN Group's study will cost $117,270.
Monday's board meeting is set for 7 p.m. at village hall, 300 Plaza Circle.