Erosion worries residents n Elgin's west side
Spurred by residents on Elgin's west side, the city could soon be applying for a federal grant to help stabilize parts of Tyler Creek that are severely eroded and pose a hazard.
During a tour Monday night with city officials and engineers, residents of the Eagle Heights subdivision pointed to a bend in the creek near Kevin Avenue.
The area was so bad that large black wires were exposed and could be seen running to utility boxes that were precariously close to a steep drop.
An evergreen's roots also were being seemingly chipped away by the ebb and flow of the creek.
"The longer it's kept unchecked, the more it is going to keep marching," Randy Stowe, owner of the Harvard-based Biotechnical Erosion Control, told about 25 residents of the erosion path. "If you stepped on that last foot of grass, you'd be in the creek."
Rick Poulton, an Eagle Heights resident and president of the Tyler Creek Watershed Coalition, organized the outing to explore options for homeowners, who fear the creek will chip away at their backyards and don't necessarily want to pay companies like ComEd to move the wires to above ground poles in their front yards.
Elgin Councilman David Kaptain, who attended with Mayor Ed Schock, said the city started a fund 30 years ago for creek-related projects.
He said there are other areas of the creek in bad shape as well and residents and the city need a comprehensive grant application to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which disperses grants through the states under the Clean Water Act.
The government pays for 60 percent of a project's costs, while municipalities and residents pick up the rest. The city likely would split the 40 percent with residents, with the city dipping into the $900,000 fund.
"It's probably time to start spending that money, but that money can't just be spent here. It's not fair," Kaptain said. "You can't just pick houses here and there and do it. You have 17 miles of creek."
The deadline to apply is July 30, said Rob Linke, professional engineer at Trotter and Associates, of Wasco.
The council likely will consider a grant application, project proposal and draw up parameters for a loan program by mid-July. No cost estimates have been put forward so far.