$1.2 million creek restoration at Villa Park golf course to begin

Elmhurst and Villa Park officials will break ground Saturday on a $1.2 million water quality project at Sugar Creek Golf Course.

Sugar Creek has suffered from shoreline erosion, sediment deposit accumulations and degraded water quality in recent years. The restoration project aims to fix those issues with the creek, which runs through the nine-hole public golf course and provides habitat and flood storage.

More than 50% of the project's costs will be funded through grants from the DuPage County Water Quality Improvement Program and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The remaining funds will come equally from Sugar Creek Golf Course, Villa Park and the Elmhurst Park District. The golf course is jointly owned and operated by the village and park district.

The groundbreaking ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

The improvements are scheduled to conclude in the spring. The golf course will be closed during construction, but the driving range, pro shop and rentals will remain open.