Lake Zurich OKs 'Band-Aid' for pond

Lake Zurich officials say they have developed a temporary fix to stop sediment draining from Mionske Pond into the lake to meet a federal environmental order.

The plan calls for construction of an elliptical bypass storm sewer along the west side of Mionske Pond that would redirect 90 percent of the water flowing into the pond.

Currently, water leaving Mionske Pond, which has an abundance of silt, enters the village storm sewer system and discharges directly into the village's namesake lake.

The bypass system could cost up to $300,000.

It's an immediate fix that may become a long-term solution to the silt drainage problem, Village Administrator Bob Vitas said.

"We had our engineers evaluate different alternatives and drainage flows in that (Mionske Pond) drainage basin," Vitas said. "We are not going to take it totally offline. That discharge would flow through a storm sewer collection system alongside the pond and reconnect to the storm sewer lines that would go to the lake beyond the pond."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determined silt runoff from the Illinois Department of Transportation's Route 22 bypass construction site, and an on-site detention basin, exacerbated an existing sediment problem in the pond. It happened over several months starting in March 2006.

The agency separately cited IDOT for the runoff and ordered Lake Zurich to stop allowing sediment from Mionske Pond to flow into the lake. The village has until April 30 to fix the problem. Officials plan to request an extension.

Rich Sustich, president of the Lake Zurich Property Owners Association, said the village's solution is "a good Band-Aid."

"The key here is that we actually have now a good engineering study of the watershed," he said. "That's the basis for this decision."

Sustich said the report verified what many people suspected all along, that the village's storm sewer infrastructure is overwhelmed.

Mionske Pond eventually may have to be taken completely offline from the village's storm sewer system -- an option preferred by the EPA -- or dredged, drained or back-filled, Vitas said.

"It depends upon the final engineering studies," he said.

Vitas is recommending a storm water management study of the entire drainage basin based on existing and future potential conditions.

Work will likely begin on the bypass construction by the end of summer.