Carol Stream partners to stem flooding

Three government agencies are combining forces to help stem flooding in Carol Stream's Venture subdivision near Glenbard North High School.

The park district and Glenbard High School District 87 are working together to install artificial turf and make other improvements to an athletic field at North that officials hope will also ease flooding in the nearby neighborhood.

The school district has been working on replacing fields at all four of its high schools with artificial turf after some parents pushed for the idea. The park district agreed to help pay for the turf at North, which is the only one of the four Glenbard schools with its campus in Carol Stream.

A similar project is on hold at Glenbard West in Glen Ellyn until funding partners can be found.

The flood portion of the project is expected to cost about $100,000. The village, which is participating in some of the improvements, still is working out the costs with the school district.

The work would allow Carol Stream to handle a 100-year storm event in that area, Village Manager Joe Breinig said.

"It allows us to be able to get at some of the water that's leaving the school site," he said.

He said the school was built before a stormwater ordinance existed, and the work will help rectify some of the resulting problems.

Although flooding only occurred in some homes in the area, Breinig said the water damage to those buildings was substantial.

Carol Stream has dealt with severe flooding in several areas, especially in homes along Klein Creek.