Elmhurst Flooding: Officials Eye Neighborhood

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst officials want to undertake a project to stop flooding near Spring Road and Eggleston Avenue.

But they say the estimated price tag is high – $5.5 million.

Major flooding affected 30 businesses and houses in the area in May 2018, May 2019 and May 2020, each time breaking the record, according to the city.

The rains came when the ground was already saturated, City Kent Johnson told a city committee Tuesday.

According to the city, a $2 million federal grant is available for the project, with officials looking for other sources of money.

To solve the problem, the city needs 9 acre-feet of underground detention of water in the neighborhood, Johnson said. An acre-foot of water is enough to cover the size of a football field one foot deep.

Last year, the city completed a 9-acre-foot underground stormwater basin under a field in front of York High School, Johnson said.

The problem in the Spring Road neighborhood is that the city doesn't have enough land for 9 acre-feet. It could reach two-thirds of that amount by installing basins under city parking lots in the area, Johnson said.

"We would need to find some land or some way to get the 3 remaining acre-feet," Johnson said.

The city hopes to start construction in 2026, which would give it time to resolve the land issues, he said.

"This is not only important because it's 30 homes and businesses, but it is also a main thoroughfare through Elmhurst for police and fire response," Johnson said. "This is one of the few flooding problems in Elmhurst that affects businesses."