Unfinished Business

While it's encouraging that the 8th Ward's portion of work in The Storm Water Master Plan has been completed, it's effectiveness remains to be seen. It's important to understand that the cause of our flood issues are twofold:

1. street flooding during moderate to heavy rain events and
2. basement flooding and seepage due to a surcharge in the sanitary sewer system.

According to the City, this surcharge is caused by excessive infiltration of groundwater during heavy rain and winter melt off. These events cause the sanitary system to fill with water faster than it can drain away, thus backing up into basements and filling foundation drain tile that connects to the system. For example, during the heavy storms of July 23-24, 2010, the corner of Dover and Pennsylvania was flooded. The extent of the flooding caused the water level to extend past the sidewalk and onto my property by over 5 feet. The sanitary system filled to a level approximately 18" above my basement slab. This means that without my standpipe, I would have had 18" of water in my basement. As it was -- I still experienced seepage through my slab and around my foundation.

This marked the third consecutive year that I had water in my basement due to a surcharge in the sanitary system during rain events. What is worth noting is that the rate of drainage is significantly slower than that of the storm system. While the street flooding subsided by 10:00 am, the surcharge in the sanitary system did not recede to a level below my basement slab until 5:00 pm. I continued to take water long after the street was clear. It is because of this that I have reservations about the effectiveness of the new flood control work that was completed on Marshall this past Fall 2010. While the new system will probably reduce or alleviate the street flooding, I don't believe that it will have much of an impact on the sanitary sewer problem.

In articles that I posted in November, 2009 and January, 2010,
I described my thoughts on the effectiveness of the Storm Water Master Plan and the steps that should be taken to identify and correct the problems with the sanitary system. These included performing flow monitoring and infiltration inflow analysis. This would help the City identify areas of excessive infiltration and allow the City to take the necessary steps to correct them.

At a recent City Council meeting, Tim Oakley, Director of Public Works and Engineering was asked to describe the sewer work that was occurring along Wolf and Rand Rds. He stated that The MWRD was lining its interceptor sewer to reduce infiltration.

I e-mailed Mr. Oakley, inquiring if this procedure was a possible solution to the problems in our ward. His response:

Email Response from Mr. Tim Oakley

He stated that the infiltration rate in our sanitary system exceeded the base flow rate by a factor of 10! This says it all. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the major cause of the surcharge we experience.

Mr. Oakley also stated that the City has budgeted $125,000 to perform the testing I described in my posts. This is a significant amount. He further detailed the various procedures the City could take to correct the problems when areas of infiltration are identified. In a follow up e-mail Mr. Oakley stated that the consultant contract would be presented to The City Council around the end of March and that the full scope would be defined then.

This is, without a doubt, the most encouraging news I've heard regarding our problems. The City has acknowledged the problem and is taking steps to identify and correct it.

Mayor Moylan has maintained that infrastructure upgrades and repairs should be a priority for this City and I agree. Aging and inadequate infrastructure affects our property values and our ability to attract business.

Some residents may think that, with the recent acceleration of the storm sewer work in our ward, the problem is solved and we won. I would suggest that that work was merely the first step in a long process to correct all the flooding problems. In my article of November 2nd, 2009, I note that the sanitary sewer issues present a potential health problem.

As shown on the City's website, their position on this issue is that the burden should be borne by the property owner by recommending that the homeowner invest in a costly flood control or overhead sanitary system. The cost of a reliable flood control system is around $6000 , not including electrical hook up or landscape restoration. Even then, the system is vulnerable to power outages and the homeowner must further invest in a generator or battery back-up systems. I strongly disagree with this position. I believe the City has a responsibility to ensure that the infrastructure that they provide performs properly. The only way to avoid being connected to the City's sanitary system is to use a septic field or an outhouse, neither of which is legal.
In my article of November 9, 2009, I note the sanitary sewer issues present a potential health problem. This in itself should be a concern to all residents.

As a resident of the 8th Ward, I am very concerned about this issue. As a candidate for Alderman, I would make this one of my highest priorities.
I urge all the residents to stay engaged in this issue until all the flood issues in our ward are resolved.

Rain Rain Go Away!

It's been well over a year now since The No Flood Zone blog was created. A group of concerned 8th Ward residents embarked on a collaborative effort to persuade the Mayor and City Council to accelerate the flood project scheduled for Marshall Drive, a street on which my family has lived for 24 years. Many of my neighbors were affected when excessively heavy rainfalls exceeded the storm sewer capacity, which historically had been about 1.25 inches per hour. In particular, for each of the past four years, there has been at least one significant rainfall, which resulted in street flooding. Not every one of these led to property damage, but the rain events created a great deal of stress for those affected.

It is January 2011, and the long-awaited Marshall Drive project is now complete. A new 36-inch storm sewer was installed, and the old 18-inch line is still intact. In addition, the Willie Road reservoir was created for emergency runoff. These changes provide for significant storm water capacity. The big questions, of course, are whether it will work, how many households will benefit, and whether the sanitary sewer also needs an overhaul. Cordial Drive, which runs into Marshall Drive, has had a history of flooding, but the project did not involve any work on this street. However, due to the interconnectedness of the sewer systems, one would expect some relief for folks who live on Cordial. The only way to find out for sure is to experience another torrential downpour, but I don't think any of us are ready for that!!

While I certainly am glad our storm sewer work has finally been completed, going through this long and epic battle has made me realize the importance of a sound infrastructure, something which is too often neglected, probably due to the significant cost involved. As homeowners, we face a similar dilemma. For example, if you had $20,000 to spend on remodeling, would you rather spend it on beautifying your kitchen, or fixing your plumbing? The City Council has historically struggled with making monetary commitments to infrastructure work and has placed more emphasis on cosmetic improvements. After all, storm sewer work doesn't do much to improve the look of the City of Des Plaines!

Mayor Moylan has made it clear that upgrading the City's infrastructure is a priority. In fact, when the City Council was split on whether to accelerate the Storm Water Master Plan and complete the work on Marshall Drive ahead of schedule, he cast the tiebreaking vote. For years, our alderman, Rosemary Argus, tried to take care of our flooding problems, but former mayors and City Council members did not support her. The current administration is getting the job done, and my message to them is to continue to work collaboratively and take care of the residents of Des Plaines.

In a report to the City Council, I cited several reasons why flood mitigation work was important. Among these reasons was the obligation of a local government to protect its citizens. In many ways, a flood is like a thief that robs you of your property, your health, and your time. The City of Des Plaines needs to remain committed to mitigating flood damage, a problem which has plagued our community for decades. Whenever I tell people where I live, a common response is, "Doesn't it flood there?" There is a stigma on our community, and one way to remove it is for the residents to be vigilant and to hold our government officials accountable for their actions. Many people have just given up out of disgust, but that is not the answer. I am thankful I never quit, although I will admit, I experienced many moments of discouragement and despair. The No Flood Zone was formed because residents decided it was time to take action. The result is that we sent a clear message and got something accomplished.

I am also delighted to learn that one member of our group, Austin Stanton, is going to run for the alderman position vacated by Rosemary Argus. One benefit of getting involved in a local community matter is the satisfaction that comes from working with others toward a common goal. While this blog has focused on one issue - flooding - we recognize that city officials are faced with a host of other problems and challenges. However, solving those problems requires the same strategic approach based on concern, commitment and collaboration. I personally wish Austin well in his honorable pursuit to serve the people of Des Plaines and to take part in accomplishing great things for our community!

OCC Flood Plain Friendly

Oakton Community College has  embarked on a five year, $68 million revitalization plan. They seem to be very environmentally concious, especially about impacting the flood plain

• A couple quotes from
  Oakton looks ahead with expansion plan - PIONEER PRESS
  • Also, we are very conscious of the environment and have had engineering studies done to insure we will have no impact on the flood plain and flood way. We will put the building on piers or 'big stilts' so that the water table and water flow will not be effected. We know our 125-year floods come about every three years," Lee said.
  • The impermeable parking lot surface probably will be replaced with permeable pavers and swales to allow natural drainage, she added.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links about DesPlaines are here.