Darien Flooding Solution May Hurt Willowbrook: Officials

DARIEN, IL – Solving flooding problems in Darien may unintentionally hurt neighboring Willowbrook, and that's something the city cannot do, Darien's mayor said last week.

"The water flows from Westmont through Darien through Willowbrook to Burr Ridge," Mayor Joseph Marchese said at a City Council meeting. "Burr Ridge and Willowbrook are lower. So when we fix the problem here, Willowbrook gets more water."

"Potentially," Darien's public works director, Dan Gombac, added.

"Yes, potentially," the mayor said.

Darien, Marchese said, could get DuPage County's stormwater help.

"The county has had a good year with sales tax income," he said, "So they are willing to work with us and Willowbrook or Burr Ridge to fund a program, find a solution to the problem. But we have to come up with a solution, something that's going to slow water down."

Marchese said city officials are meeting with the mayors of Willowbrook and other towns to develop a regional plan.

Gombac noted the city has hired an engineer to look at flooding issues in particular neighborhoods.

"We need to help ourselves first before we develop that regional plan," he said. "Based on these rain events, they're getting more and more frequent. We all know that."

Over the summer, Darien has been particularly hard hit with flooding. Residents have expressed their frustrations during recent City Council meetings.