Residents along Fox River wait and see

At Fox River Springs -- ground zero in this latest round of flooding -- resident John Schmidtke said he's become immune to the smell.

It's a mix of stale river water and backed up septic systems that wafts into the air on a warm day.

"The smell is pretty bad," Schmidtke said Wednesday. "But I'm used to it because I've been here the whole time."

No, what's agitating -- and worrisome -- is the fact water continues to rise in this tiny enclave near Antioch, and will likely worsen today.

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"I'd say about 50 homes are under water right now," Schmidtke said.

The 100-home subdivision, which is in a low-lying area, is about a foot under water in the worst spots, officials say. Some streets are flooded and accessible only by boat.

Evidence of the damage being done is a few yards away on the Fox River -- floating debris, including piers and full trees dislodged by high, rushing water.

While this spot seems to be the hardest hit location in Illinois, experts say it likely won't be alone.

Kent McKenzie, head of the Lake County Emergency Management Agency, said the Fox River at New Munster, Wis., has crested at 4#189; feet above flood stage, but the water isn't dropping as normally happens.

"It's going to stay at the crest until at least Friday," McKenzie said. "So, it's going to keep going up for us for the next 24 hours, longer if any additional rain falls."

Things weren't as bad Wednesday along the Chain O' Lakes, but that could change today.

Officials at the Lake County Stormwater Management Agency said there's potential for "severe flooding" on the Chain.

Water levels are about a foot over flood stage, and about 6 inches above the home damage line. That means a handful of homes already have some water damage, and about 50 others have water in their yards.

What will happen is anybody's guess.

One positive sign is Nippersink Creek, which feeds into the Chain, has crested and started dropping, prompting Chain water levels to rise slower than earlier this week.

McKenzie said water is expected to rise another 6 inches on the Chain before it levels off late this week. That would put more homes in danger.

Further south, water levels are about a foot over normal in Algonquin and beyond, but only a couple of inches over flood stage. Forecasts show water could rise enough to damage some property by Tuesday, when levels are expected to peak.

A big factor in the equation is the amount of rainfall in coming days. The National Weather Service is predicting thunderstorms for today.

This is the third time in nine months areas along parts of the Fox River and Chain have battled flooding.

Last August, 400 homes in Fox Lake, Antioch and Antioch Township were damaged by flooding. In April flood waters affected about 150.

"I don't know if we'll hit levels we hit last August, but the water will definitely be as high as it was in April," McKenzie said.