Unusual ice jam floods some homes near Geneva, St. Charles

Residents near Novak Park in an unincorporated area between St. Charles and Geneva are getting increasingly soggy because of an unusual ice jam in the Fox River.

At least one family has abandoned their home while water from the Fox River seeps toward their residence. Six more families are seeing wet crawl spaces and puddles forming around their homes.

Don Bryant, director of the Kane County Emergency Management Office, said ice sheets are stacking up on a sandbar near the homes. As they stack, the sheets are upended, forming a dam of ice that's diverting water toward the homes. It's the first time Bryant has ever seen that area plagued by an ice jam in his 15 years on the job.

The problem now is that there is no immediate solution. So much ice has piled up near the park that experts considered using explosives to fix the problem. The inherent danger of such an explosion outweighed the possible benefit.

"The best thing to do at this point is to let nature take its course," Bryant said. "When it warms up the ice will pop loose and move downstream."

Until then, sandbags might help block the waters from flooding more homes. And, ironically, colder weather that creates a fresh layer of ice in the river will help prevent additional flooding. Bryant said the ice from a new cold snap will not be the same kind of ice that is stacking up near Novak Park. The new ice would be formed by a supercooling of the water into what is called frazil ice. It is a loose collection of ice needles, resembling slush, rather than the pancake sheets that are causing the ice jam. Frazil ice tends to sink and move downstream rather than float on the surface and get stuck.

If sand and new ice doesn't solve the problem, Bryant said dialing 911 so emergency personnel can relocate homeowners through the Red Cross is the best measure.