Story posted Thursday, June 25, 2009
Short-Term Flood Fix Within Reach; Long-Term? Not Yet
By DWIGHT ESAU Journal & Topics Reporter
Residents of a section of Arlington Hts. south of Central Road got a small piece of good news regarding their flooding problems, but a major, long-range solution remains elusive.
In recent years, about a foot of water fills many streets and flows into some homes in an area bounded by Arlington Hts. Road, Magnolia Street, Fernandez Avenue, and Pickwick Road. A recent survey of homeowners said some homes had some sort of water in their window wells, garages, or basements when it rains heavily, according to Scott Shirley, director of public works.
At a village board committee-of-the-whole meeting this month, officials revealed the good news: they will undertake a $111,000 project this summer to modify a section of storm sewer pipe beneath Arlington Hts. Road so water will no longer stand in the pipe and send backflows into nearby streets.
"A recent study revealed that the pipe isn't pitched right," Shirley said. "We believe this will provide some benefit to the street flooding."
But there was also some not-so-good news. The problem with a major longer-range solution is money, Shirley said.
"Our consultant advised us that the best of four options to fix the problem would cost between $11 and $12 million. And that would only reduce the foot of water in the streets by about half.
"There is no money in the current budget for that, and to do it, we probably would have to issue general obligation bonds," he said.
The board asked staff to determine as soon as possible what it would cost to eliminate all street flooding, and what an $11 million bond issue would cost. The plan would include expanding the Cypress Park Detention basin, adding a pump station in the area, and adding and replacing some sewers.
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