For Valley View residents, this story is getting tiresome

In Valley View, residents had a what-else-is-new demeanor when it came to the weekend flooding and cleanup aftermath.

A little more than a year ago, the unincorporated community near St. Charles saw an identical scene after heavy rains transformed couches into giant sponges and basement freezers into floating barges of spoiled food. Many of the residents were flooded out of their homes last August and used Federal Emergency Management Agency dollars to renovate and survive. A second round of floods this year had residents like Vicky Metzger re-evaluating their living situation.

Metzer and her husband Rob were just renters of their home when the floods hit last year. As a result, they had no flood insurance for a near total loss. Despite that, they went ahead and purchased their rental home after renovating it. The couple just began living in the home full-time in February. This year's flood will chase them out again.

Metzger said the floodwaters almost reached the kitchen countertops at its high point this year. By Monday morning, the water had receded to knee-level.

"It's kind of déjà vu for us," Metzger said. "We've lost almost everything just like a year ago. It's the same old thing, just a different day. The only difference is we do have flood insurance this year. We learned real quick from last time."

Campton Hills was still in its infancy as an incorporated community the last time water of any magnitude was an issue. Village President Patsy Smith said this time the water is much worse because it is far more widespread than a year ago, but the village is also better prepared. Smith said more than 100 volunteers helped create, hand out and stack sandbags for village residents during the weekend. Some homes saw about 30 inches of water in some spots. Designated staff was coordinating with Kane County Emergency Management personnel on flooded roadways and homeowners who need assistance. While Smith said she was unaware of any residents forced to leave their homes by water, getting enough pumps to dry homes out is an ongoing challenge.

Village staff is also determining how long certain roads might be out of commission. As of late Monday afternoon, Denker Road was closed to traffic.

With upwards of 8 to 10 inches of rain in much of the Tri-Cities area, water couldn't recede fast enough in Batavia and Geneva.

Batavia's Clark Island Park was under water Monday, and the pedestrian and bicycle bridges crossing the Fox River were closed due to high water levels in the Fox River. There was minor flooding at the Woodard baseball field, according to Mike Clark, Batavia Park District director.

The north loop to the Riverwalk path system is closed since the river has flooded the north tip and wildflower areas.

Residents experiencing surface ponding or flooding on their property can request assistance from the city by calling (630) 454-2000. The city will also respond to sanitary sewer backups in residents' homes, according to assistant city administrator Randy Recklaus.

The city will be establishing a special curbside garbage pickup date for carpet and other storm damage debris. Updated information on this service should be available at cityofbatavia.net. If you have storm debris to be picked up, call the Street Department at (630) 454-2423 or e-mail kmontana@cityofbatavia.net to be included on the route.

A special public meeting will be scheduled in the next few days for residents to have the opportunity to give the city feedback on the storm response.

City administrator William McGrath said subdivisions on the west side of town near Fabyan Parkway and Randall Road, near Braeburn Marsh, took on a lot of water because they are low spots. The path on the east side of the river, near Venice Tavern, was under water Monday afternoon.

McGrath said the city used a GPS system this weekend to measure water height in retention and detention ponds throughout town, and will analyze the data to see if any need to be re-engineered.

And just like last year, the coffer dam at the Wilson Street bridge construction site is under fast-flowing water, bringing work to a halt. The coffer dam is supposed to keep water away from the area where workers are building the last of the scenic overlooks, on the northwest corner of the bridge.

In Geneva, Island Park was under water and closed. Wheeler Park had two trees down and much of the park was under water Monday, said Steve Persinger, executive director of the Geneva Park District. Mill Creek Community Park is also flooded. City officials are meeting with Allied Waste today to schedule flood debris pickup; when it is set, the information will be posted at geneva.il.us. Over the weekend, the city delivered sandbags to the Mill Race Inn restaurant complex on the east bank of the river south of Route 25. But the restaurant's lower level, which houses the Mill Grill and the Duck Inn, still took on about 2 feet of water. Both facilities have been shuttered since last August's flood, which filled them to the ceiling.

"I can tell you from being out all day and into the evening with our crews on Saturday that our employees did a fantastic job doing what was needed to keep our systems up and running. Sunday was a matter of holding our own (which our crews did very well," Geneva City Administrator Mary McKittrick said via e-mail.

Fisher Drive, the northern entrance to Fisher Farms subdivision, was closed at Bricher Road in Geneva due to standing water on the road, according to the city.

In Elburn, officials kept a close eye on the sanitary sewage treatment plant in the southwest corner of town, which is the lowest spot in the village. They were afraid that if stormwater flooded it, untreated sewage could end up in Welch Creek, so they brought in pumps to keep it clear. As it was, people in a nearby subdivision ended up with stormwater in their basements, Village President James Willey said.

Elburn is on pretty high ground, Willey said, but one problem is it's bisected by railroad tracks east-west. There are few places for water to get under the tracks, so it acts kind of like a dike, he said. Neighborhoods near the relatively new Metra station fared better than in the past, due to drainage improvements made for the station, he said.

"For a time we felt like an island because so many roads were closed due to Blackberry Creek rising," said Sugar Grove Village President Sean Michel. A sanitary sewer lift station, which helps pump the stuff to the treatment plant, became overwhelmed due to people pumping stormwater into the sanitary system, leading to sewage backups in some basements in the Black Walnut Trails subdivision.

"Other than that we fared pretty well. The retention ponds worked like they were designed to," Michels said.

North Aurora's village hall took on water through a sanitary sewage backup, according to village administrator Sue McLauhglin. Water came up through the toilets.

St. Charles residents near the Fox River experienced an anxious weekend, but so far only two homes have been evacuated. The river rose higher than 19 feet, well above the flood stage at one point. As of Monday afternoon, it was back down to 18 feet, 6 inches. That's still 3 inches over the flood level.

Water damage in St. Charles was perhaps most notable on the city's infrastructure. The Illinois Street bridge was closed late Saturday afternoon and did not reopen until Monday after city engineers had a chance to inspect it for safety. Several roads in town may require structural or foundation inspections, especially along Illinois Street and 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th avenues on the east side of the river.

Both Century Station and the Old City Hall experienced minor flooding that will require repairs. The city may be inline to receive a reimbursement for some of its flood control response expenses because of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's declaration of a disaster area for much of the Chicago area.

Most businesses in St. Charles escaped the flooding without major problems, though many did see water infiltrate their buildings at some point during the 9.25 inches of rainfall the city had in the past few days.

To help with the recovery effort, the city is waiving the $30 application fee for furnace, boiler and water heater replacement. There will be a special trash collection Saturday for materials, goods and debris.

The Fox Valley Park District has closed all of its island and shoreline parks on the Fox River. The affected parks are North Aurora Island, Gregory Island, Veterans Memorial Island, Hurds Island, South River Street and South Island Park.

Portions of the Fox River Trail were also under water and closed to the public. In North Aurora, the trail is closed at State Street on both sides of the river.

Orchard Valley Golf Course remained closed and is expected to re-open for limited play Wednesday.

In the city of Aurora, Orchard Road between Galena Boulevard and Prairie Street will likely remain closed through Tuesday, according to police.