DuPage County Stormwater Management News & Updates

DuPage County, Illinois sent this bulletin at 01/22/2025 10:00 AM CST

January 2025                                                                                                                                 View this email in your browser
DuPage County Currents

2024 SWM Construction by the Numbers: 9 Projects, $4.5 Million, 4.7 Million Gallons of New Flood Storage

main st

The Main Street Flood Storage Facility in Lisle is one of three large-scale projects completed in 2024, providing over 2.9 million gallons of floodwater capacity along St. Joseph Creek.

2024 was a great year for flood control projects! A total of nine projects were constructed across the County and are currently operating to protect DuPage communities from flooding. Just like last year, a majority of the funds for these projects came from grants such as the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), to the great benefit of County taxpayers. $4.5 million were invested in three large-scale projects that collectively provide nearly 5 million gallons of flood storage capacity, almost 6,000 feet of new storm sewer, and ecological restoration in the impacted areas. An additional six localized drainage projects were completed around the County, four of which were designed and constructed by SWM staff. These improvements will protect hundreds of homes from flooded streets, backyards and basements. SWM looks forward to continuing its work in the coming year to maintain and build infrastructure that serve DuPage County communities.

SWM Sponsoring Annual River Sweep

schwarze

Celebrate Earth Day the right way: by picking up trash and protecting our waterways!

This year marks the 34th annual DuPage River Sweep, which is a countywide self-coordinated stream cleanup and restoration event coordinated by The Conservation Foundation in partnership with SWM. Since its inception in 1991, more than 14,000 volunteers have removed nearly 300 tons of garbage from DuPage County streams. This year, we celebrate River Sweep Week! Due to the Easter holiday, cleanup date may vary by municipality - check website for details. You can sign up easily right now for yourself, your family, or a whole group of people!

More Info

Get Real-Time Water Updates Right in Your Inbox with WaterAlert from USGS

The US Geological Survey's WaterAlert system is a very helpful tool for keeping track of changing water conditions at a location of your choice. Users can set up email alerts whenever the stream elevation, detected rainfall or discharge rate at a monitoring location reaches a certain threshold, which the user also picks. This could be useful for government staff, residents living near floodways, or anyone looking to stay informed of their local water conditions.

Sign Up for WaterAlert

Around Town

SCARCE is hosting their "Attainable Sustainables" classes for DuPage County teachers on Friday, February 28, sponsored by SWM. Spend the day immersed in various environmental issues affecting our community, and the role sustainable solutions can play in solving these problems. Ideas to protect our water, conserve energy, improve soil, and preserve natural resources will be covered. The class will include professionally led tours of DuPage County environmental facilities including the Elmhurst Quarry, Urban Stream Research Center in Warrenville, and the Naperville Household Hazardous Waste Facility. Professional Development hours will be earned and content is applicable to all grade levels. Register online with the link below!

More Info

teachers

Teachers get an in-depth tour of facilities like the Elmhurst Quarry led by SWM staff.

Upcoming Events

SAVE THE DATE: Green Infrastructure Seminar for MS4 Communities

Thursday, February 13, 2025, 8:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.

SWM is hosting our annual training for municipal staff and consultants on Green Infrastructure in-person at Medinah Shriners Center in Addison this year. This seminar is for employees and contractors of DuPage County MS4 municipalities/townships, and not open for the public. If you are a community employee or consultant and have not received an invitation to register, please contact Raul Galvan at raul.galvan@dupagecounty.gov.

Conservation@Home Professional Training: Designing Small-Scale Native Landscapes

Wednesdays, March 5th, 12th & 19th, 2025, 9:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M.

Homeowners and small businesses are increasingly asking for sustainable, resilient landscapes that showcase the benefits and beauty of native plants. However, landscape design and installation professionals often do not have the expertise and tools needed to help homeowners and businesses achieve these goals.

Hosted by The Conservation Foundation and sponsored by DuPage County Stormwater Management, this free in-person workshop series showcases tools and resources that small-scale landscape designers and installers can use to add native gardens to their portfolio. Register today!

More Info