Flood watch: Fox Lake level begins to drop; river could crest late Thursday at Algonquin Dam

McHenry County Emergency Management Director David Christensen says he can’t quite see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel yet for the flooding along the Fox River.

“It is there, but it’s dim,” he said Wednesday as the National Weather Service continued its flood warning for McHenry County and parts of Kane and Lake counties.

The good news, he added, is that Fox Lake on the Chain O’ Lakes has likely crested — meaning the floodwaters have hit their peak on the north end of the system and will slowly start to recede there.

The bad news is that the water will continue to head south.

“It means the water is leaving but is making its way down the river,” and will continue to leave areas wet for at least another two weeks, Christensen said.

Downriver at the Stratton Lock and Dam near McHenry, the floodwaters were expected to crest at 7.5 feet Wednesday into Thursday, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

On Wednesday, the river below the Algonquin dam was at 12 feet and was expected to crest at 12.2 feet on Thursday, according to the weather service’s Chicago office.

At that location, the river is expected to remain at major flood stage through Saturday, then slowly start to recede, but not until floodwaters hit more neighborhoods, yards and streets as the water heads downriver, the weather service said.

Christensen has been encouraging residents along the river who have experienced flooding in previous years to sandbag and to stay vigilant about the barrier they’ve already laid down.

As the river heads to a crest, water will move further inland.

“The water cannot go down fast enough because there is nowhere else for it to go. We will see a rise in flooded areas through tomorrow, without a doubt,” Christensen said.

More flooding was seen on Wednesday as volunteers were requested to help — in one case, where a previous sandbagging effort had failed — in the Island Lake and Holiday Hills areas.

“The need has been scaled back for sandbagging, but not eliminated yet,” Christensen said.

He also called out motorists who have been driving around — or in some cases moving — the barricades blocking off flooded roads.

“No. 1, you are risking your safety and the safety of yourself and your vehicle. No. 2, you are damaging the sandbag walls at your neighbor’s house” by creating a wake with your vehicle, Christensen said.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said it would ticket any drivers officers found going around barricades.

With the river now at major flood levels, additional structures are threatened in Algonquin, East Dundee, Carpentersville, and Elgin, according to the flood warning issued mid-morning Wednesday. What areas could see damage based on past flood levels can be found on the Flood Impact charts at the National Water Prediction Service website, water.noaa.gov.

Gloria Jenson took exception to some of the agency’s predictions on which streets will see flooding in Algonquin. She lives on Center Street and can see the Algonquin dam from her flooded yard.

If Jayne Street, one block south of her, floods as the weather service warned, “we had better be building an ark,” Jenson said.

In the nearly 49 years she’s lived there, her yard has flooded many times. Every year it happens, it floods differently, she added. “Whatever happens up and down the river … it changes how it floods every year.”

They started sandbagging on Sunday, with neighbors jumping in and helping each other get their bags in place.

“That is generally how it works here, people who come and help because it is a community,” Jenson said.

Although they have to sandbag every few years, Jenson said she isn’t going anywhere either.

“It is not all that bad, and it is a lovely place to live,” she said.

Christensen reminded residents they can self-report where floodwaters reach this year, including photos of where floodwaters overtopped banks, on the Fox Waterway Agency website at foxwaterway.com.