Heavy Rainfall Causes Elmhurst Flooding

ELMHURST, IL — With four inches of rain since Thursday, Elmhurst experienced flooding on streets citywide to some degree, the city said in a news release Friday afternoon. All the city's stormwater detention facilities were open and active and operated as designed, according to a city news release.

Elmhurst police and public works crews worked throughout the night to monitor streets and clear debris from flooded areas, the release said.

"It is important for residents to understand that street flooding will occasionally happen during significant rain events as designed by the stormwater detention operation plans," the city said in the release. "The stormwater mitigation system is designed to relieve homes of flooding by redirecting the water into the streets, which then drains into the detention basins. This can take anywhere between 30 minutes to one hour based on the amount of water."

During heavy rainfall, the city often receives inquiries on when the Elmhurst Quarry will be open to relieve the city's standing floodwater. The DuPage County Stormwater Management Team operates the quarry and is responsible for opening it, the release said. It takes overflow water from Salt Creek, but does "very little" in preventing flooding on Elmhurst streets, the release said. The quarry was opened at 1:30 a.m. Friday.

The city urges residents to call the police department at 630-530-3050 to report street flooding or basement backups.