Elmhurst To Floodproof Private Homes

ELMHURST, IL — The Elmhurst City Council decided this week to pay the full costs of floodproofing 14 houses that are vulnerable to overland flooding.

At Monday's City Council meeting, supporters contended that targeting individual homes is cheaper than large-scale stormwater projects in the case of the two neighborhoods in question — Crestview Park and Brynhaven.

The total cost of the floodproofing is estimated at nearly $250,000. For two houses, the city plans to spend $100,000 to seal off their garages, which are connected to downsloping driveways.

Over the last decade, the city has been working on stormwater projects. To date, the projects have involved infrastructure designed to reduce flooding in whole neighborhoods, rather than protecting individual houses.

According to city documents, the projects' costs per home have averaged $86,000 over the years, compared with about $18,000 for the floodproofing in the two neighborhoods.

Officials said they have not identified a funding source for the floodproofing, which is expected to benefit eight homes in Crestview and six in Brynhaven. But Alderwoman Noel Talluto, who heads the council's finance committee, told her colleagues that the city would have to consider a sales tax hike, stormwater fees or "aggressive" spending cuts to make flood projects a reality.

Some aldermen were concerned about paying the full costs. Alderwoman Marti Deuter proposed that residents pay a quarter of the costs, like they do with other programs such as overhead sewers. Alderman Bob Dunn agreed, saying it would be appropriate for residents to have "skin in the game."

Alderman Brian Cahill said Crestview and Brynhaven are the last in a long line of projects that city engineers proposed years ago. He said it was only fair to pay the residents' full costs, as the city has done with the larger infrastructure projects.

He said that when he moved to town in 2002, Elmhurst was up and coming. But after a series of floods a few years later, things changed, he said.

"I know people who wanted to move to Elmhurst, but they didn't want to deal with the floods, so they moved elsewhere. Property values during that time frame were affected," Cahill said.

He said other neighborhoods not included in the original engineering plan could include cost-sharing.

Alderman Michael Bram opposed the idea of floodproofing, which he said would give residents and the city "a false sense of security." Such a project, he said, would depart from the city's goal of keeping water within the city's rights-of-way and out of homes.

Bram argued the city was shortchanging the two neighborhoods with targeted floodproofing, which he contended would merely send water into different entry points. He suggested neighborhood-wide infrastructure improvements.

"I don't think we should make any stormwater decision based solely on cost," he said.

The council voted 9-4 for the floodproofing project.

Here are other recent stories on flooding issues in Elmhurst:

Elmhurst Flooding Targeted In Agreement

Elmhurst Weathered Flooding 'OK': Mayor

Elmhurst Neighborhood To Get Flooding Help

Elmhurst Neighborhood Wants Help With Flooding