CRITICAL MEETING DES PLAINES FLOOD ACTION GROUP

                   

   CRITICALMEETING

   DES PLAINES FLOOD ACTION GROUP

       WHEN:  JANUARY 18, 2012

       TIME:  7:00  P.M.

       WHERE:  City Council Chambers

    SPEAKER:  TIM OAKLEY  Chief Engineer Des Plaines

        -  IS HERITAGE PARK A MYTH, AND WILL IT HURT OR HELP BIG BEND?

        -JUST HOW FAR WILL THE RAISING OF RIVER ROAD GO, AND WHO WILL IT HELP......AND HURT???

       -WILL DES PLAINES ABSORB THE FLOOD WATERS FROM LEVY 37 IN A FLOOD EVENT?

       -NEW CONSIDERATIONS FOR BIG BEND PROJECTS...

       -WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE REBUILDING OF THE STORMWATER SYSTEM?????

                                

WE NEED A BIG BIG TURNOUT

BRING YOUR NEIGHBORS!!

Please also nominate candidates for the Board.  You may nominate yourself.  Elections will be in March.

 

Please note that the City thinks our group is dead.  A huge turnout will prove the contrary.  We want to be strong going into this election cycle!!!!

ComEd Power Outage discussion at City Hall

Alderman Mark Walsten passed this on to 6th Ward residents and  I wanted to share it with others.   

ComEd will be available on Thursday, October 27th at 7 pm at City Hall to discuss issues related to outages.  Please pass it along to interested residents in your wards. 
 
The City will also be publicizing this meeting as well through their Media Services Office.

Glenn

Illinois Green Infrastructure Grant Program for Stormwater Management (IGIG)

Thanks to our Riverside Residents for Flood Prevention friends for sending this to me. 

 

The following is a news release from the Illinois EPA regarding a grant program available in our area for stormwater management:

Illinois Green Infrastructure Grant Program for Stormwater Management (IGIG)

In the last few months, communities throughout northeastern Illinois have seen devastating rainfalls and damaging floods. Between streets, parking lots, and other impervious surfaces, a lot of that water had nowhere to go. Flooding and combined sewer overflows damage property, drain government budgets, and are environmental threats.

Fortunately, the State of Illinois can help you and your community reduce the effects of stormwater runoff. The Ill. Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) is once again accepting applications for the Illinois Green Infrastructure Grants Program for Stormwater Management (IGIG). This year’s deadline is Dec. 15, 2011. Grants will be awarded for a range of project sizes and types, such as installation of permeable paving, bioinfiltration systems, and downspout disconnection programs.

The Metropolitan Planning Council is hosting two public workshops for prospective applicants and other interested parties to learn more about this exciting new program.

IEPA staff will be on hand to explain the details of the grant program, and project managers of some of last year’s successful applications will describe their proposals. Attendees also will have the opportunity to network and brainstorm about project ideas with design and engineering firms, planners, landscape architects and other experts in the field of green infrastructure.

Register now for Monday, Oct. 17, 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Metropolitan Planning Council
140 S. Dearborn St., Suite 1400
Chicago, Ill. (See this location on Google Maps)

OR

Register now for Tuesday, Oct. 18, 10 to 11:30a.m.

The Centre in Elgin, North Banquet Facility

100 Symphony Way

Elgin, Ill.  (See this location on Google Maps)

These workshops are free. Prospective applicants include units of government, watershed planning groups, non-profit organizations, private businesses, and individuals. You are welcome to attend more than one workshop, but the content will be comparable. Seating is limited, so you must register in advance.

For more information, please contact Josh Ellis at jellis@metroplanning.org or (312) 863-6045.

Home Generator Reimbursement Plan in the Works

City Officials likely to approve rebate program for residents affected by storms, power outages

Des Plaines residents will likely be able to get a city rebate for their purchase of home generators within the next month.

Read full story by Janet Nester at the Des Plaines Patch

Let us hope this plan goes through and does not get lost as the 2010 version did.
Glenn

Des Plaines Building Permit Fees Waived for Flood Damage

Des Plaines City officials have waived building permit fees for flood-related damage caused by the June 23 storm.   Click the on the Des Plaine Patch news link below for more details.

Des Plaines Patch News Story By Janet Nester

Des Plaines Flood Damage Assessment Survey

Flood Damage Assessment Survey
for immediate release  5 PM, Tuesday, July 26, 2011, Des Plaines, Illinois

As part of the City’s ongoing effort to assess damages as a result of the July 23rd flood event, the City is conducting a self-assessment survey of damages to residences and businesses in Des Plaines.  The results of this survey will be reported to Cook County and used as the basis for determining whether state and/or federal assistance will be extended for losses experienced as a result of this flood event.  The City is asking all residents and businesses that experienced flood related losses to report this information.

To report your information as a part of this survey, visit the self-assessment survey website at http://myflood.desplaines.org and complete the online form by Friday, July 29 at 5 PM.  If you are unable to access the online form, paper copies of the form are available at the Police Department, 1420 Miner Street.

Please note that no funds are available at this time for reimbursement of flood damages.  If a state or federal determination is made that this flood event qualifies for reimbursement, the City will make reimbursement information available to the public at that time.
 

Will Soderberg
City of Des Plaines Media Services
1420 Miner St, Des Plaines, IL 60016
847.391.5327 (office)
847.954.9073 (cell)
847.391.5003 (fax)

Latest Riverside Flood Group news

Neighbors,

Last Saturday morning members of Riverside Residents for Flood Prevention gathered for an informal meeting to discuss flood related issues affecting our area and the status of current projects. For those who we unable to attend, here's a brief recap.

Armitage, Fairbanks and Hofmann Dam projects-

· Armitage and Fairbanks Dams: Arlan Juhl, Manager Division of Planning of the Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources (IDNR) confirmed with us that the contracts for removal have been awarded, both to the same company.

· Fairbanks Dam: Juhl said the Fairbanks plan had originally been submitted for removal "in the dry", using a coffer dam; due to concerns about the coffer dam causing potential flood issues above the dam, IDNR required the company to re-submit a new plan for removal "in the wet." The revised plan has been submitted but is not yet approved.

· Armitage Dam: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) project supervisor Jeff Zuercher confirmed that the contracted company is still working on its project submittals, specifically on its accident prevention plan, so no approvals to start work had been granted as of June 30. Zuercher says they anticipate granting Armitage Dam approvals within the next week or two, which means that we should see work begin on this dam within the next few weeks.

· Hofmann Dam notching/Swan Pond work:  Still in panning stages, Olmsted Society of Riverside has been expressing certain concerns during the planning stages; mainly advocating the prevention of any unnecessary tree removal, evaluating drainage plans and ensuring thorough post-project restoration.

Burlington Northern Sana Fe (BNSF) railroad bridge-

· BNSF: We have been in contact with BNSF Director of Public Affairs Amy McBeth. In a reply to us and to a plea from the Village of Riverside to consider discussing the problem, the railroad has stated that they do not believe that the piers, which are at a 34 degree angle to the flow of water and block 17 percent of the river flow, have any impact on flooding. They believe there are other remedies that would better mitigate flooding, such as the Hofmann Dam notching and the building of levees. We disagree.

· Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD): They studied the bridge and found it to be a concern though MWRD Sr. Civil Engineer Joseph Kratzer told us "we looked at the affect of the skewed BNSF RR bridge piers in our Lower Des Plaines River Detailed Watershed Plan (DWP), and essentially came to the same conclusion as the USACE/IDNR did.  We evaluated the benefits of the pier extensions along with other structural measures to address flooding along the Des Plaines River in the Riverside area, which are summarized in our DWP report." "Upon completion of our study in February 2011, the recommended projects (including the BNSF RR pier extensions, “DPR-11C”) were presented to our Board of Commissioners for prioritization.  Since the pier extension project’s benefit to cost ratio was not as high as others identified in the plan, it was not selected for project implementation by our Board at this time.  However, this will not affect the analysis by the USACE/IDNR as they work to complete their study."

· IDNR: Is still working to complete their own study and is considering addressing the project and has been contacted for info, no further info as of this date. We will be researching state and federal guidelines and dictates that may support the fact that these piers are no longer lined up correctly with the flow of water as they once were 100 years ago when they were installed. 

Lower Des Plaines River Detailed Watershed Plan (DWP)-

· MWRD has completed the DWP and design of projects is under way. The board has approved the plan and it is funded directly by the MWRD. There is no firm schedule yet. The plans were passed on 3/17/11 with about 28 projects to be undertaken all along the river from the northern county line to the south. For the entire report click here. One of the projects DPR-13 is part of the plan and will definitely help mitigate flooding for residents of the Riverside Lawn area. Since the projects are system-wide, Cook County residents all along the river should see benefits. 

Riverside Dept of Public Works-

· DPW Director Ed Bailey has been in communication with our group regarding some storm sewer problems he uncovered in a survey of the system upon his taking the office. After a study of options and approval from the MWRD, the Village has decided to install gate valves in each of the storm sewer outflows into the Des Plaines River. One valve in the outflow adjacent to the Forest and Groveland intersection and one in the outflow off West Avenue. They are currently obtaining competitive quotes for the valves for the 2012 budget. These valves will help prevent swelling river levels from flowing back into the Village storm sewer system and stressing its capacity.

· Mr. Bailey also brought to our attention a new sandbag design that the Village is currently evaluating by a company called FloodBloc http://www.fbsap.com/. There was a sample at the meeting for residents to examine. Basically it is a flattened 1lb burlap sack that upon contact with water for 3 minutes, swells to a typical sandbag size and increases its weight to 40 lbs. After a flood event, the bags are left to dry to their original flat 1lb state for proper disposal. They are EPA approved and non-toxic. There are many benefits to the bags including ease of dispatch, lower labor cost and time and the elimination of the coordination of dump truck loads of sand during a flood event.

Thanks to all who contributed and to Mary and Tom for hosting. More to come on all these and other topics as we learn more facts.

Riverside Residents for Flood Prevention

http://www.riversidefloodprevention.org

mail@riversidefloodprevention.org