Elmhurst Solution 'Not Acceptable' For Flood Control: Alderman

ELMHURST, IL – In 2020, Elmhurst Alderman Michael Bram opposed floodproofing homes as a stormwater solution in his ward.

He stands by that position.

Atop Elmhurst's stormwater priorities is the Crestview Park neighborhood in Bram's northeastern Ward 3, where the city plans to floodproof 15 houses.

The project is estimated to cost $128,600, far lower than most of the others on the list.

During Monday's public works committee meeting, Bram said he was against floodproofing as an approach.

The city, Bram said, should solve stormwater problems, not allow water to come up to homes. In such a scenario, residents would be unable to get into or out of their homes, he said.

"I don't find it an acceptable solution," he said. "We, the city of Elmhurst, need to keep the water in the right-of-way, not go onto private property."

As he has long proposed, Bram suggested the city work with the park district to store water at Crestview Park. The district's role has long been debated, including during a City Council meeting last fall.

In 2020, a divided City Council approved floodproofing homes in the Crestview Park and Brynhaven neighborhoods. Neither project is done.

Bram was in the minority, saying floodproofing would give residents and the city "a false sense of security."

He also said in 2020 that floodproofing would depart from the city's goal of keeping water within rights-of-way and out of homes.

At the time, Bram got into a tense discussion with then-Alderman Jim Kennedy over whether the park district would let the city use its land for a project.