Prospect Hts. drainage study on hold while city awaits funding

A drainage study to help Prospect Heights prepare for and reduce instances of flooding is on hold because the city has not been able to obtain a grant to fund it, city leaders learned this week.

The study would particularly focus on the city’s Lake Claire and The Shires subdivisions, which have experienced flooding after heavy rains. Steve Skiber, the city’s director of building and zoning, said a pond in The Shires intended to hold water from large storms is not performing as well as expected, putting more pressure on Lake Claire and causing it to overflow easily.

The city hoped to address the problem with funding from a federal Ike Grant, named after the devastating Hurricane Ike of 2008. However, the city’s application for Ike funding was denied, and it is now searching for alternative funding sources, City Administrator Anne Marrin said.

The latest information on the drainage study will be subject of a special meeting of the city council’s Street and Flooding Committee at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, at city hall, 8 N. Elmhurst Road.