How project could reduce flooding in Glen Ellyn neighborhood

When the Chicago Blackhawks clinched their most recent Stanley Cup, some fans in one Glen Ellyn neighborhood weren't dancing in the streets.

That's because about two feet of water swamped Oak Street after heavy rains last June 15, one resident would later tell the village. Backyards also tend to chronically flood along Oak and Elm streets during intense storms.

"It's a fairly regular occurrence," says Bob Minix, the village's professional engineer.

But some proposed fixes could significantly reduce pools of water during intense storms - by a foot to 18 inches, Minix says.

The highlights of an estimated $2.8 million improvement project include:

• Reconstructing and lowering Elm Street between Kenilworth and Western avenues,

• Resurfacing Oak Street between Kenilworth and Western,

• Improving drainage on private properties at 291 and 295 Elm - costing roughly $60,000.

The project is in a portion of the so-called Kenilworth drainage basin. Its primary storm sewer system runs south to north. When that system reaches capacity, excess stormwater travels overland in the same direction as the underground pipes. Eventually, water crosses Geneva Road and heads to Winfield Creek.

But there are a "number of impediments," Minix says, that hamper the flow of water above ground and lead to "ponding."

Lowering Elm will help facilitate the flow of water across the street and north, engineers say. In between the two homes on the south side of Elm, the village plans to regrade or contour the ground and put in roughly 3-foot walls that frame a channel, with brick pavers at its bottom.

"We're creating essentially a 5-foot-wide flow path," said Minix, adding that those improvements will benefit the broader neighborhood.

The village knows addressing the path of water above ground won't entirely drain yards, but will decrease the height of standing water.

"This is an approach that we feel is going to work very well at a reasonable price," Minix said.

The village will seek bids for the work in the next couple of weeks. Minix hopes to receive those proposals from contractors by the end of April, and then crews could begin the job in May.

The roadwork likely would be done first, and the entire project could be complete in the middle of fall.