Public property damage detailed in Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich might face a maximum six-figure bill because of damage to two sewage lift stations during last week’s flooding, according to a village trustee.
Trustee Mark Loewes addressed the lift stations in the Braemar subdivision after several residents at Monday’s village board session described how they endured floodwater filling their homes, the loss of vehicles, refused insurance claims and other problems due to the June 26 deluge.
Floodwater caused the failure of the two sanitary lift stations serving the Braemar subdivision, north of Cuba Road and west of Ela Road. Loewes said a control panel for the two pumps was damaged.
Loewes said the village is renting a control panel to keep the pumps operating. He said the pumps and control panel date to 1986 and are considered obsolete, so village officials can expect a significant expense to fix the system that’s not in the current budget.
“The reality of it is, we could be seeing a ticket as small as $20,000 to $30,000, up to a range of maybe $100,000, $110,000 if the whole system needs to be revamped,” Loewes said.
Lift stations elevate wastewater and runoff, sending it to higher ground toward a treatment facility.
Village Manager Jason Slowinski detailed other damage to publicly owned facilities caused by the flood. The National Weather Service reported 6.63 inches of rain fell on Lake Zurich early in the morning June 26, making it one of the hardest-hit communities in the Northwest suburbs.
Slowinski said there was damage in village hall basement and at a Paulus Park facility. Flooding also hit some buildings the village owns in a downtown redevelopment zone.
“We had water in the basements of some of the buildings we own downtown,” he said. The village is working with its insurance carrier, he added.
Flooding was most severe on Lake Zurich’s southeast side near Stone Avenue, Thistle Lane and Bristol Trail Road. Some residents said problems have been escalating during the past 10 years, with water backing up from storm sewers onto streets when there is heavy rain.
Village officials have agreed to waive permit fees for electrical work, as well as on heating-ventilation-air conditioning units and water heaters, so residents can get back in their homes as soon as possible. Officials said residents must complete a special form to get the waiver.
Trustee Jonathan Sprawka asked that all permit fees be waived for affected homeowners. Mayor Thomas Poynton said a vote on Sprawka’s suggestion is expected at the next village board session July 15.