McHenry County prepares for flooding

With last month's well above average snowfall starting to melt into the region's river and streams, McHenry County officials say they're hoping for the best when it comes to flooding -- but preparing for the worst.

Barry Valentine, director of McHenry County Emergency Management, said Tuesday the county recently ordered 20,000 sandbags from Minnesota to ready themselves for the coming thaw as well as replenish supplies severely drained by last summer's flooding along the Fox River.

"We were down to probably less than 10,000 in the whole county," Valentine said. "Hopefully with this 20,000 we will able to get through it if we get into another flooding situation."

With the weekend's combination of warmer temperatures and rain, waters from the Kishwaukee River spilled over its banks, Valentine said, but so far the Fox River remains contained. With temperatures again expected to dip below freezing at night this week, Valentine is hopeful the thaw will move at a slow, manageable pace.

"People complain about the cold weather, but I'm actually happy to see it," he said. "I'm cautiously optimistic that things are going to be all right, but that could change next week."

That seems to be the prevailing attitude across the northern Fox Valley as public works and road officials say they are prepared for flooding, but not expecting it to come.

"We have sand and bags if we need them, but right now everything looks good," Algonquin Township Road Commissioner Bob Miller said.

Other than a few isolated areas, Miller said he's seen no flooding in the township.

In Algonquin, where residents dealt with severe flooding last summer, officials say they do not expect melting snow to send the Fox River over its banks this spring. The larger concern, Public Works Director Bob Mitchard said, is flooding cause by ice jamming street drains or possibly even the Algonquin Dam.

"We have higher (water) levels in the river right now, but it's slowed down since Sunday," Mitchard said. "Everything seems to be moving consistently right now."