$37M La Grange Flood Work To Start This Year: Officials

LA GRANGE, IL – La Grange plans to start a nearly $37 million stormwater project later this year.

But it remains unclear how the village can proceed while years-long litigation remains unresolved about where to deposit stormwater.

At Monday's Village Board meeting, officials revealed the plan to start the 50th storm sewer project this year.

The work, officials say, would fix the flooding problem south of 47th Street.

With the new storm sewer, the water would be deposited into the Heidelberg Materials quarry in neighboring McCook.

In the early 1990s, the quarry cut the village's storm pipe.

Three years ago, a Cook County judge ruled that nearly century-old documents showed the village had the right to deposit water into the quarry. But the company appealed.

At Monday's meeting, officials said the village has $16 million in its bank account for the work, thanks to a 2015 voter-approved sales tax.

The village said the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, which handles stormwater issues in the Cook County suburbs, was expected to pick up half of the eligible costs.

During public comments, resident John Pluto asked how the village could start the project when the litigation continues.

"We don't have the OK from the quarry," he said.

Village President Mark Kuchler responded, "The court says we don't need their OK."

Pluto appeared unconvinced.

"It seems like you're saying you're just going to do it," he said. "It hasn't been finalized. There's no conclusion yet. It's still in appeals."

In response to a Patch inquiry Tuesday, Kuchler said in an email, "Since shortly after the trial court's favorable decision, the Village has been proceeding with the 50th street sewer project. The Village intends to continue moving forward, and the Board looks forward to providing significant flooding relief to the residents."

Over the years, many residents have spent tens of thousands of dollars to floodproof their homes. Because the litigation has taken so long, they have pressured La Grange to undertake smaller projects in the meantime.

But officials have long said that they wouldn't have enough money for the 50th Street sewer, which solves the problem, if they spent money on smaller projects.