Mount Prospect Studying Storm Sewer System in Area Near Levee 37
It is becoming more and more common for storms to be characterized as "100-year events." A storm is considered to be a 100-year storm when 4 inches of rainfall in a 2-hour period. The 100-year reference means that there is a 1 percent chance of such a storm occurring in any given year. Mount Prospect and surrounding areas have seen their share of these types of storm events.
While the construction of Levee 37 and other stormwater improvements made in the northeast section of Mount Prospect have improved the situation, existing inlets, catch basins and pipes in the storm sewer system are not designed to collect and convey such a large volume without temporary surface storage.
The Village of Mount Prospect is committed to addressing flooding concerns in the areas near Levee 37. To this end, the Village, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and IDNR are currently working on upgrades to the levee pump stations.
Additionally, the Village has hired Christopher B. Burke engineering consultants to perform a study of the storm sewer systems tributary to the levee. They have identified two (2) projects to improve performance of the storm sewer systems in the levee area. One project involves pipe upgrades and the construction of a detention basin in the storm sewer system tributary to Pump Station 1. Exploration of this concept coincides with River Trails Park District plans to update Burning Bush Trails Park. Presently, the eastern portion of the park already stores some stormwater by design. The plan being considered increases this capacity by deepening and widening the depressed areas.
The River Trails Park District is hosting a Public Open House to discuss the future development plans for the Burning Bush Trails Park on June 26, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at Burning Bush Community Center, 1313 Burning Bush Lane, Mount Prospect. The meeting will include a discussion regarding storm sewer improvements and the detention basin construction project that would benefit the neighborhoods tributary to Pump Station 1.
Analysis by Burke Engineering indicated that the proposed Burning Bush Trails Park detention basin (if it were constructed), would have held water about twice a year for about an hour and a half at a depth of 0.7 feet. Their study found that incorporating a detention basin and drainage system into the plan for redesigning Burning Bush Trails Park could improve the playability of athletic fields and amenities by 27 percent. Most importantly, the construction of a detention basin and installation of larger storm sewer pipes will help reduce the risk of recurrent surface flooding endured by some homeowners in the area.
Plans for a second project with similar improvements for the area served by Pump Station 2 are underway as well; however, public meetings have not yet been scheduled for this project.
These projects will be locally funded and are expected to cost $3 million - $4 million each. The Village is pursuing grant funding to defray these costs.
Residents are encouraged to attend the Burning Bush Trails Park Open House on June 26 to provide input on the park redesign as well as the storm sewer improvements in the area. If residents would like to learn more about the proposed storm sewer improvements but are unable to attend the meeting, they may call the Public Works Department at (847) 870-5640 or email publicworksdept@mountprospect.org.