Concerns rise over flooding in Wheaton

Just hours after Mark Trieglaff complained about flooding to the Wheaton City Council, he and his wife were placing sandbags around their house along South Hale Street.

Building sandbag walls has become routine for the Wheaton couple since buying the property.

"We've only owned the property for 21/2 years, and it has flooded three times now," Trieglaff said.

Fortunately for the Trieglaffs, water that was inching toward the home on Tuesday morning was gone by early afternoon.

They left the sandbags in place just in case.

Wheaton wasn't the only community dealing with flooding issues Tuesday. Parts of Route 53 were closed near Glen Ellyn, between Butterfield Road and Park Blvd., and in Romeoville - and several major highways were slowed - due to standing water. A National Night Out event in West Chicago's Reed-Keppler Park was canceled.

Still, Wheaton residents such as Trieglaff say persistent flooding in several parts of their community must be addressed.

"I think we are looking to our officials to try to see if there's some solutions," Trieglaff said.

Last year, engineering consultants determined that even a highly complex and costly stormwater project involving the former Hubble Middle School site at Naperville and Roosevelt roads wouldn't do much to reduce flooding in the surrounding area.

Resident Sheldon Gilbert said that doesn't mean city officials should quit trying to find a solution.

"I don't know if there is a feasible solution to the problem," Gilbert said. "But I feel we've got to have some relief."

Wheaton has hired a stormwater engineer who is working to develop strategies for reducing flooding issues throughout the community.

Still, Councilman John Prendiville said there isn't much the city can do right now to solve flooding along parts of Hale Street. He said the only long-term solution would be for the city or DuPage County to acquire flood-prone properties.

"There's no money available for that right now," Prendiville said. "But I think long term, the best thing to do - absent any other solutions - is taking those residential properties and making them open space."

While some residents want relief, others simply don't want their flooding problems to escalate.

Kim VanderSchaaf said flooding has "progressively gotten worse" during the more than 11 years she has lived along Elm Street. Now she is urging the city to prevent the Wheaton Park District from making changes to Kelly Park as part of its planned $754,000 makeover of the 17-acre facility at 1100 Main St.

"If we allow them to pave over and install their basketball court and their hockey rink, where is that water going to go?" she said. "It should not become a further burden on the neighborhood to then house this water in our basement."