Tours offer close view of Elmhurst Quarry flood facility

In partnership with the Elmhurst History Museum, DuPage County Stormwater Management will offer visitors a rare opportunity next month to tour its Elmhurst Quarry Flood Control Facility.

Tickets for the Saturday, Sept. 21, tour are $12 and will go on sale at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3, on the Elmhurst History Museum's website at www.elmhursthistory.org. Children must be ages 10 or older and accompanied by an adult. Past tours have filled quickly.

"We always have a strong showing of people interested in learning about how DuPage County manages floodwater. This tour gives us an opportunity explain how the Elmhurst Quarry detains 2.7 billion gallons of floodwater," Stormwater Management Committee Chairman Jim Zay said. "The magnitude of this facility is very impressive, and we are happy to be able to give residents a chance to see it up close."

The quarry is the largest of DuPage County's 17 flood-control facilities. Using a predetermined operating plan, stormwater management staff allows floodwater to enter the quarry via a 400-foot tunnel, which runs under Route 83. The facility holds the water until elevations recede enough to pump it back into Salt Creek.

Tours will depart via bus every 30 minutes from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. from the Elmhurst History Museum's Education Center, 120 E. Park Ave. Each tour will last about two hours.

Following the quarry visit, participants can take a self-guided tour of the museum's exhibit "By All Accounts: The Story of Elmhurst," which includes more information and a video about the quarry's history.

"The Elmhurst Quarry was one of Elmhurst's oldest businesses, and it is a site that many people have been very curious about over the years," said Jessie Wandersee, supervisor of education services at the museum. "The quarry tour offers a rare, behind-the-scenes opportunity to learn about the facility's history and view its inner workings from viewing platforms that are usually closed to the public."

For more information, call the Elmhurst History Museum at (630) 833-1457.