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DuPage County residents grapple with flooding after weekend storms

Published  May 1, 2017 9:20pm CDT
News
FOX 32 Chicago

FOX 32 NEWS - The threat of rising waters caused DuPage County officials to take drastic measures this weekend,  activating their flood control plan and opening up 16 flood control facilities.

Rotary Park, where there is several feet of water standing and a playground and softball field were underwater, sent parents scrambling to find a back-up facility.

"Just wish it would stop raining, it's still raining," resident Mike Orlowski said.

Orlowski's 13-year-old daughter was supposed to be practicing on this Villa Park softball field for a game on Wednesday. Now, he’s trying to come up with a plan B.

"Scouting out to see when we will be able to have a practice game judging by the rain and the field not seeing that that's going to happen this week," Orlowski said.

Rising creeks and rivers were a concern all around Chicago after a weekend of wet weather.
Several streets in Arlington Heights were flooded and in Bolingbrook, the DuPage River Greenway was underwater.

DuPage County officials activated 16 flood control facilities after 3 to 4 inches of rain fell over the weekend.

"We are on the banks of Salt Creek River when we have large events like this we open up the facility when the facility is open we take about half of the flow of Salt Creek into the quarry,” Jim Zay from the DuPage County Stormwater Management Committee said.

Zay said the water flows under Illinois Route 83 and to the Elmhurst Quarry on the other side.
The quarry is their largest flood control facility, holding 2.7 billion gallons of water.

"We've heard of some residential floodings, some streets and yards but not in houses so that's basically what we shoot for is residential and the streets a little bit n your backyards as long as it's not getting in your house that's our main goal,” Zay said.

But Orlowski said when it's springtime in the Midwest, patience is a must.

"You wait, pretty much wait and see how long it takes for the water to recede and for the ground to not be so squishy," Orlowski said.