Armstrong Park project chosen for DuPage County grant

A DuPage County stormwater management committee has recommended grant funding for a water-quality project at Armstrong Park in Carol Stream.

Proposed improvements call for replacing Armstrong's asphalt north parking lot with permeable pavers and a vegetated swale system. The parking lot is located off Idaho Street.

The stormwater committee selected the Carol Stream Park District project for funding through the county's water quality improvement grant program.

"The projects we selected to partially fund will not only greatly benefit the DuPage waterways but will also serve as examples to the public of projects that can be undertaken on a smaller scale at area homes and businesses," said Jim Zay, chairman of the DuPage County Board's stormwater committee.

The maximum funding amount is 25% of the project's construction costs. That equates to no more than $40,395, or a 25% reimbursement for the Armstrong parking lot project. The total project cost is $161,582.

As part of the Klein Creek Watershed Plan, the project aims to reduce two pollutants of concern from the West Branch of the DuPage River: phosphorus and sediment. The permeable pavement also will allow stormwater to infiltrate where it falls and reduce stormwater runoff.

The work will be completed by this fall.