Darien Manages Subdivision's Wetland; Burns Part Of Effort

DARIEN, IL – Darien has paid an engineering firm to manage a wetland within a southeast side neighborhood for 15 years.

On Monday, the council is set to vote on extending that effort with Christopher Burke Engineering for another five years, paying the firm up to $42,000.

The neighborhood is the Tara Hills subdivision, which is part of a special tax district in which residents cover the costs.

The wetland is under the jurisdiction of DuPage County's stormwater and wetland ordinance.

Darien must maintain the wetland and enforce any violations of the county ordinance, such as the wetland's destruction, dumping or mowing in the buffer areas, according to a city memo.

Over the next five years, the effort includes prescribed burns, which require notification of all houses and businesses within 500 feet of the burn site.

Tara Hills is north of Interstate 55 and east of Oldfield Oaks Forest Preserve. The subdivision was built in the 1990s and early 2000s.