La Grange Gets $2.5M From Feds For Flood Projects: Official

LA GRANGE, IL – La Grange got good news last week in its effort to stop flooding in the south part of town.

President Joe Biden signed a mammoth budget bill that contained $2.5 million for storm sewer systems south of La Grange's 47th Street, Village President Mark Kuchler announced Monday.

"The idea is we want to increase the capacity of storm sewers. We want to make sure our combined sewers are fully functioning as best as possible," Kuchler told the Village Board.

He credited U.S. Reps. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, D-Chicago, and Sean Casten, D-Downers Grove, for getting the money.

"That's a phenomenal amount of money coming from our congressmen," Kuchler said. "We really appreciate their efforts."

He said he and some village trustees are set to join Garcia in a news conference in neighboring La Grange Park.

In 2015, La Grange voters approved a sales tax of three-fourths of 1 percent to address flooding on the village's south side. The plan is for a storm sewer along 50th Street, with water deposited into the Heidelberg Materials quarry in McCook. (It was formerly called Hanson Aggregates.) So far, the tax has brought in $7.5 million to the village.

Last year, a Cook County judge sided with the village over the quarry in long-running litigation, allowing La Grange to send the water to the quarry.

Heidelberg has since appealed.

"We are not waiting on the quarry litigation," Kuchler told the board. "We have applied for permits with the (Metropolitan Water Reclamation District) for the 50th Street storm sewer. We are operating on parallel tracks."

In June 2021, flooding in south La Grange angered residents, who formed a group called Dry Up La Grange.