Flooding Study Under Way in Arlington Heights

Arlington Heights got lucky last week when towns and villages around it dealt with severe flooding.

Flooding has been a problem that has plagued Arlington Heights for decades, and the village is trying to find solutions.

A study is underway to determine why areas flood and what can be done to stop the problem.

“We didn’t get it as bad as our neighbors,” said Scott Shirley, director of public works, of the rains that hit the area on Wednesday and Thursday when 5 inches fell in 24 hours.

Public works received 35 to 40 reports of basement backups and three to four dozen backyard flooding complaints last week, Shirley said. His department delivered sandbags and assisted homeowners with pumping water out of basements or backyards, he said.

Arlington Heights closed 10 streets for a short time due to standing water when a line of thunderstorms dropped a gush of rain, overwhelming some street drains.

“It was a significant event, anytime anyone takes water in the basement, it’s not a good situation and we don’t take it lightly. It’s certainly not as bad as July 23, 2011. We probably had a couple of hundred reports then", he said.

In 2011, the village saw 7 inches of rainfall over five hours.

Arlington Heights has commissioned a study looking at seven specific areas where flooding recurs. Next month, the village will start another study looking at its larger, combined sewer area, which encompasses the older part of the village and its storm water management system, he said.

A draft report on the first study is expected in the next couple of months and the second study will be done by the end of the year, he said.

Consultants will use resident survey information about flooding as well as the village’s own records relating to complaints dating back to 1999, in addition to problem areas.

Arlington Heights recently received a $200,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to address neighborhood flooding issues. The village board authorized a bid for the project on April 15.

The program will help construct public sewer improvements to allow residents to connect private drainage systems to the village’s system.

Flooding in Arlington Heights has been an issue for decades and the village has not ignored it, he said.

“The village spent $140 million in the 80’s and 90’s to address flooding. Lake Arlington is a perfect example of a flood control project that eliminated flooding in the north end of town,” Shirley said. “It was terrible for decades.”

Another example is the detention basin at Wilke and Kirchoff, in the southwest part of the village, built in the 1990s, he said. It was filled with rainwater last week, he added.

Arlington Heights residents may not know what the village has done to deal with flooding, he said, but the people who live in those areas don’t have to worry about flooding anymore, he said.

While the village continues to address flooding problems, Shirley cautions there are no improvements that will inoculate Arlington Heights forever from flooding.

Shirley pointed out millions of dollars the Army Corps of Engineers previously spent on the Des Plaines River levy, and it was ready to flood last week.

“Mother Nature has a funny way of always one upping us,” he said.