Officials Celebrate Completion of DuPage River Improvement Projects

DuPage County officials had reason to celebrate last week: their crews completed several projects along the West Branch DuPage River, including flood control and water quality improvement projects, as well as expanding the Warrenville Road Bridge.

“We’re marking these accomplishments together...because DuPage County and our partners realized an opportunity to minimize the burden on residents by constructing portions these projects in tandem,” DuPage County Chairman Dan Cronin said. “We were also able to save taxpayers’ funds through this exemplary intergovernmental cooperation.”

DuPage County, the City of Warrenville and the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County cut a ribbon last Tuesday in celebration of the event.

DuPage County’s Stormwater Management Department marked the completion of these projects as the final phase of a $7 million plan to improve flood control and water quality improvements around the West Branch DuPage River, according to the DuPage County Board.

“This area endured a devastating flood in 2008 that prompted DuPage County to identify flood control solutions. At this time, the County and the District were also managing the ongoing thorium removal project and NOAA-funded water quality projects, so we saw an opportunity to marry the flood control and water quality aspects of these projects,” said DuPage County Stormwater Committee Chairman Jim Zay. “As a result, we now have a roughly eight-mile stretch of the DuPage River that is an amenity for residents – not only does it protect nearby properties from overbank flooding, but it supports recreation and aquatic habitat. We are very lucky in what we could do in this area.”

Previous projects under the umbrella of the $7 million improvement plan included wetland restoration in Naperville’s McDowell Grove Forest Preserve, streambank restoration and flood protection at Bower Elementary School.

“We knew that the Warrenville Road Bridge was in need of replacement and we were able to work with our Stormwater department on a project that had multiple benefits for the local community,” said DuPage Transportation Committee Chairman Don Puchalski. “The new, wider bridge not only supports transportation needs, but it also aligns better with the river to reduce pinch-points that may lead to flooding upstream.”

Warrenville Mayor David Brummel was present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration in Tuesday.

“These projects will contribute to a better quality of life for Warrenville residents and businesses for many decades to come,” he said.