Sandbag pickup in flooded areas scheduled

Lake County wants your dirty sandbags.

On July 17, county public works crews will pick up sandbags used by residents to protect their properties during June flooding on Fox River and Chain O'Lakes, said Kent McKenzie, head of the county's emergency management agency.

County crews will pick up the sandbags starting at 7 a.m. that day in unincorporated areas. Residents in areas, such as Fox River Springs and Linden Lane in Antioch Township, should move the sandbags from their property to the curb before July 17, he said.

The sandbag collection is targeted at areas served by septic systems. County officials said sandbags used in those areas are likely contaminated with bacteria and should be disposed of properly.

Emergency management officials in Fox Lake and Antioch, which are served by municipal sewer systems, are advising residents to dispose of the sandbags on their property or, if possible, save the sandbags in a dry place for future use.

Lee Shannon, head of the Antioch Emergency Services Disaster Agency, said the lack of septic systems in those villages means sandbags used there are not as contaminated as in other areas.

He also said people who used plastic sheeting when building their sandbag walls should have few, if any, contaminated sandbags.

"With the rainfall we have received this past year, it might be wise to hang onto them," he said. "You never know how much rain is going to fall."

McKenzie said wet sandbags in high septic areas - such as Fox River Springs north of the Chain O' Lakes - are considered contaminated because of high bacteria levels caused by flooded septic systems.

He said residents should not use the sand on playgrounds or in sandboxes, and the sand should never be used to fill wetlands and floodways.

"We actually had a community call us asking for the sandbags to refill their beach," he said. "But, we couldn't do it because of the contaminants."

He said 80,000 sandbags were filled during the June floods. But, he said he is unsure how many will be picked up by public work crews.

"A lot of people have been disposing of the sandbags in their own way," he said. "So, we could pick up as few as 15,000 or as many as 50,000. We just don't know."

People wanting to hang onto their sandbags should only use the sand for limited landscaping work, he said, adding spreading the sand thinly will reduce the bacteria due to the sun's ultraviolet radiation.

McKenzie said the county will take the sandbags to their Libertyville public works campus for storage, then use it on future construction projects or during future floods.

McKenzie also urging residents and business owners in Lake County to meet face-to-face with disaster recovery specialists from federal and state emergency recovery agencies at nearby federal/state recovery centers.

The Disaster Recovery Center is at the former Fox Lake Lions Club at 23 South St. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through today.

Disaster victims should also register for assistance before visiting a DRC by calling toll-free 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).

People looking for additional information can contact the Lake County Emergency Management Agency at (847) 377-7100.