Lombard plans pumping station improvements

Flood water from July’s two-day downpour has long since been pumped out of basements, into drains and down rivers.

But that doesn’t mean the storm’s aftermath has left the minds of residents affected by flooding or public works departments scrambling to make infrastructure improvements before a new storm can strike again.

Lombard’s public works department recently received village board approval for improvements to 10 pumping stations that keep water flowing through the sewer system during storms.

Trustees approved a $122,000 contract with consulting engineering firm Baxter & Woodman to survey the sites and prepare construction documents for the improvements, which have grown in scope since the idea originally was proposed last fall, Carl Goldsmith, public works director, said.

The village board’s public works committee made pumping station improvements its highest priority in the fall because several stations lost power during the July storms and others simply couldn’t keep up with all the water, said the committee’s chairman Trustee Greg Gron.

A homeowners association that formed in response to flooding issues is glad pumping station renovations are on the horizon, but also is asking the village to add more flood damage prevention measures into future plans.

“We’re happy to see you’re bidding the lift station, which I have right on my block, which failed,” said Linda Sullivan, who spoke at a recent village board meeting on behalf of the newly formed homeowners association, representing residents of the Olde Towne neighborhood on the village’s northeast side.

Under the expanded improvement plan, the Olde Towne pumping station will be one of six to receive an on-site generator for use in case power goes out again.

“We are paying serious money every time it floods,” Sullivan said. “I took $9,000 out of my retirement fund.”

The plan calls for the equipment at four stations to be raised to a higher level so it won’t become submerged during storms. Three stations also will receive additional specialized improvements.

The public works department now estimates design and construction costs of pumping station improvements will total $888,000, up from $496,000 under the original plan.

But if a $750,000 grant application through a state disaster recovery and public infrastructure program is approved, the village only would shell out $138,000 from its water and sewer capital reserve fund to pay for the project.

Goldsmith said the village should learn the status of the grant application in April.