Take care of property owners near Salt Creek too

In the recent article, "Elk Grove to study possible resolution to Salt Creek flooding," environmental "expert" Benjamin Cox said, "You can't increase the flooding in that area to such a dramatic extent that it's not natural," in discussing the possibility of allowing Busse Lake to retain more water during a rainstorm.

It would seem a history lesson is in order.

When German Immigrants originally settled in what was then Elk Grove Township, the vast majority of the area was made up of wetlands - a big swamp, to be exact. The Germans drained as much of the water as they could, and settled on the land.

What is now the Busse Woods Forest Preserve then became, as a result of the drainage, nothing but farmland. I recommend reading "The History of Elk Grove Township", a book available at the Elk Grove Public Library - it contains all of the above information and more.

So, to say that allowing the area to flood (in a way that would not harm the surrounding communities) is "not natural" makes absolutely no sense - in fact, to allow the water levels to rise would return the land to a state that is actually *closer* to natural than it is now.

To risk allowing nature to destroy thousands, if not millions of dollars of hard-earned property and the homes and memories of people who live in the communities along the creek for the sole purpose of protecting a few animals and plants (that would likely not be displaced for more than a couple of days, and only during the worst of storms) is simply ludicrous and irresponsible.

Dustin Sneath

Elk Grove Village