Elmhurst Passes Milestone On Stormwater Efforts: Mayor

ELMHURST, IL – More than a decade ago, angry residents were known to pack the Elmhurst City Council's chambers after severe flooding. They wanted action.

Tens of millions of dollars later, Elmhurst no longer appears as vulnerable to flooding as it once did.

On Monday, the City Council approved a request for the termination of its decade-old consent order with the state mandating local stormwater system improvements.

Mayor Scott Levin proclaimed it a "significant milestone in retaining Elmhurst's high quality of life."

"It's a culmination of four years of planning and 10 years of execution to help our community deal with stormwater and sanitary sewer troubles," the mayor told the council.

He named city officials, both past and present, whom he said played critical roles in solving the problem.

Then he noted officials had to negotiate "some tenuous relationships" with the school and park districts. (The city's dealings with the school system got particularly tense.)

Levin thanked school and park officials who helped out, including the park district's executive director, Jim Rogers, and former schools Superintendent Dave Moyer.

"Overall, we positively improved and affected 500 homes in the city of Elmhurst," Levin said.

He said Elmhurst has been a leader in stormwater efforts.

"Other communities look to us on how to do it," he said. "We spent a lot of money. We did the planning first, and we got it right."

Residents in La Grange, among other towns, have pointed to Elmhurst as an example to follow.

The city's request to terminate the consent order would be filed in DuPage County Court.

In a January 2022 letter, the city's attorney said Elmhurst had spent $37 million in addressing stormwater issues.