Lombard pools lose 53,000 gallons

Recent severe storms may have provided the latest and most accurate indication of leakage at Moran Water Park pool, Lombard Park leaders said Tuesday.

Like many in the Lilac Village, Lombard parks -- specifically Moran Water Park -- were hit hard by both waves of the Aug. 23 storms that struck northern Illinois.

Along with wind and water damage caused by rain, the loss of electrical power over the weekend shut down machines that replenish the water levels at the park district's pools.

The dive pool lost roughly 9 inches of water during a 16-hour period, Lombard Park Director Paul Friedrichs said.

The water park's two zero-depth pools were 4 and 5 inches lower after the storm.

Moran's lap pool lost 6 inches of water.

"Those are some big numbers based on our pool. That water could've literally been blown out of the pool," Friedrichs said. "Of course, it was raining at the time."

In total, the park's pools lost 53,000 gallons of water.

Park Commissioner William Ware doubts wind and rain alone could have such a negative effect.

"That really shows you what leakage we have," Ware said during Tuesday night's meeting.

Friedrichs and park commissioners previously have discussed making major renovations at the water park, including the lap pool which had to shut down mid-swim season because of a leakage problem with an aged pool liner.

Park commissioners could make a step toward asking district residents to support a tax increase referendum which would be necessary to improve Moran depending on an engineering report and the results of a recent resident survey scheduled to be presented at the board's Sept. 18 meeting.

In terms of storm damage, Friedrichs said four to five willow trees at Four Seasons Park, "lost significant branches and had to be taken down."

Another seven trees, including a willow, were wrecked at Terrace View Park, Park Board President Char Roberts said.

About 4 inches of rain overwhelmed Western Acre Golf Course on Aug. 23 and 24, equaling what the greens took in earlier in the month, said Superintendent of Golf Operations Kevin Ingram. Using a machine that pumped out 2,000 gallons of water a minute starting, it took 70 hours of pumping to reopen the course Sunday.

With electrical power restored at all facilities, the park district has volunteered its east parking lot at Lombard Common Park as a location for village public works crews to dump tree debris as needed.

Friedrichs said the village also requested using its chipper to mulch down branches.

"We'll need it this week for cleanup of our own," Friedrichs said.