Flood Mitigation Costs Outweighs Benefits, Army Corps Finds

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has presented draft results of a preliminary study of the potential for new regional flood mitigation measures for the Skokie River and Middle Fork River to five area communities, city officials announced.

The study looked at two sites for potential new reservoirs and suggested they would not offer enough help reducing floods to warrant any further consideration, according to a release.

Mayor Nancy Rotering said city officials would continue to work with the local, county and federal officials for ways to collaborate to find flood mitigation solutions.

“We are disappointed with the results of the preliminary study and will continue to push for a solution that will bring much needed flood mitigation to residents living along the rivers,” said Mayor Nancy Rotering. “It is long overdue to find a solution that prevents the serious flooding that continues to impact the region."

The preliminary study began in October 2018. It was the first step to evaluate whether a feasibility study would be needed and consisted of hydraulic modeling and an economic analysis for the entire watershed.

The Skokie and Middle Fork rivers are both under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps. Its final report was expected to summarize the economic data and evaluations in the coming moneys in the coming months.

In its preliminary study, the Army Corps considered a 130-acre-foot storage basin for the Skokie River located at the Highland Park County Club and a 250-acre-foot storage basic at Half Day Road Prairie for the Middle Fork River.

"The economic benefits of the storage basins would be extremely unlikely to outweigh the costs," the Corps found, according to a release from city officials.

The agency's findings could still prove useful in the future for efforts to go after flood mitigation grants and other ways that localized flooding in Highland Park might be reduced, it said. City officials said they will continue to pursue a voluntary floodplain buyout program from the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission for properties severely affected by flooding.

Read more about flooding and flood prevention in Highland Park