New maps show shift in S. Elgin flood plain

If you were near the Fox River in South Elgin in August, you don't need to be told about the flood plain.

But some areas along the river could be excluded from the flood area under new maps being considered by Kane County and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

On the flipside, some homes that were not in the flood plain could be, said South Elgin Director of Community Development Steve Super.

Village leaders said they hope to get feedback from residents who live within 500 feet of the Fox River.

"Ten years ago, they were eyeballing it," Super said. "Some properties that weren't in the flood plain are going to be."

The titleholders on homes, usually a bank if the home is not paid off, can require mortgagees to buy expensive flood insurance.

The new map, which is expected to be approved next summer, is part of a larger, $1 billion FEMA project to digitize a map of the entire nation.

FEMA and county officials are using improved computer models and elevations and applying them to new topographical data.

"It's more than a dozen properties that have changed," Super said. "Some have come out of the flood plain. I think it's in people's best interests to find out about it and see how it could affect their properties."

Generally speaking, the flood plain has shifted slightly to the west of the Fox River, including more land there and less east of it.

For details, call Paul Kruse, the village's flood plain manager, at (847) 741-3984 or visit www.illinoisfloodmaps.org.