Boating restrictions start on Fox River

While residents in Cook, DuPage and Kane counties continue to wrestle with flooded homes and streets, Lake County officials are breathing a sigh of relief.

The Chain O' Lakes, Fox River and Des Plaines River in Lake County remained well below flood levels Monday.

Officials added that the Fox River - which is routinely the river to flood during major rain events - will remain in its banks as long as heavy rains do not hit in Wisconsin.

"As long as the rain holds back for right now, we'll be fine," said Ed Lescher, head of the Fox Lake Emergency Services Disaster Agency. "Basically, the rain fell here or south of the Chain, rather than in Wisconsin as in the past. That saved us."

However, officials from the Fox Waterway Agency in Fox Lake announced Monday that the Fox River between the Stratton Bolger Lock and Dam in McHenry and the Algonquin Dam in McHenry was restricted to no wake status due to high water.

That means boaters in that area are not allowed to travel faster than 5 miles an hour due to high water and fast-moving currents.

There are no restrictions on the upper river or on the Chain O' Lakes.

Water levels in New Munster, Wisc., are about 1 foot below flood levels, with forecasts showing the water will drop by an additional foot in the next 48 hours.

On the Chain, water levels are also about a foot below flood levels and not expected to rise in the coming 48 hours.

On the Des Plaines River, water levels crested late Sunday at about 3 inches below flood levels in Gurnee and have dropped about 6 inches since.

Residents have weathered three floods since August 2007. The worst took place in June, when 400 homes and businesses were damaged in Antioch, Antioch Township, Fox Lake and Grant Township.