"Everyone in Lake County uses infrastructure every day - it is the backbone of our daily lives and communities. The condition of our infrastructure has a direct impact on every person, business and community. The amount of infrastructure funding and projects in our region over the next several years is extraordinary. Improving our infrastructure systems will drive and improve our economy and subsequently our lives and the lives of future generations in Lake County," SMC Executive Director Kurt Woolford said while leading a panel discussion at the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Lake Michigan Post Industry Day on May 26 in Lake Forest, IL. 

Invited by Joel Sensenig, past President of the Society of American Military Engineers Lake Michigan Post, Mr. Woolford joined regional, state, and federal industry leaders to discuss the current state of Lake County. The audience included federal agency representatives, small and large businesses, business resources and special guests for a full day session of education, networking and funding updates. View the full presentation here.

Top Photo, L-R: Charles Frangos, President - Society of American Military Engineers Lake Michigan Post; Jose Rios, Region 1 Engineer - IDOT; Jennifer Killen, Superintendent - Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways; Manar Nashif, Acting Chief Engineering Officer - Illinois Tollway; Kurt Woolford, Executive Director - The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission

Left side Panel  Photo, L-R: Kurt Woolford, Lake County Stormwater Management Commission, Tara O’Malley,  Regional Transportation Authority Illinois, and Tim McMahon, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning

Over the past 20 years, the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) staff have reviewed nearly 500 permit applications in which 154 acres of Isolated Waters of Lake County (IWLC) were impacted. The Lake County Watershed Development Ordinance (WDO) regulations required “mitigation” (new and/or improved wetlands) for many of the impacted IWLC. Using a minimum replacement ratio of 1.5 to 1 has resulted in 212 acres of mitigation wetlands. This represents a net gain of about 58 acres of additional wetlands throughout the county! 

This means our county has 58 more acres of wetlands to help reduce flood risk! Those additional 58 acres of wetlands provide an additional 58 million gallons of flood water storage. Many SMC-permitted developments also preserved IWLC on their sites, totaling about 790 acres. Together, the mitigation and preserved wetlands provide almost 850 million gallons of flood water storage throughout Lake County. This helps reduce the risk of flood damages in many vulnerable areas. Full Article Can Be Found Here!

In 2017, Lake County experienced one of the worst flooding events ever. Torrential rains began July 11 and continued on and off through the next day, flooding areas near the Chain O'Lakes and Fox and Des Plaines rivers. Some Lake County communities received over seven inches of rain in a 24-hour period. Gov. Bruce Rauner declared Lake County and 17 other counties, disaster areas.

Following the devastating floods, Lake County government and its partners worked non-stop to respond to the disaster and provide needed resources and assistance. Lake County Public Works delivered more than 375,000 sandbags and 1,500 clean-up kits to municipalities and townships. Public Works also loaned equipment like pumps, suction hoses, and machines to fill sandbags. The flooding spread beyond areas typically hit by rising water as the rains overwhelmed storm sewers, resulted in flooded roadways, schools, businesses and homes.

According to Lake County officials, 244 homes sustained major damage and another 2,985 were damaged, but less severely. The Fox, Des Plaines, and Skokie rivers were at record crest levels before it began to recede. Because the Fox, Des Plaines and Skokie rivers flow south, water levels on many rivers continued to rise several days after it rained. Fox Lake did not crest until July 17, six days after the significant rainfall. 

Flooding continues to be a top concern for many Lake County officials. Currently, Lake County Regional Stormwater Management is focused on 14 regional stormwater component projects in an effort to avoid future disaster caused by flooding. Funding is provided in whole or in part by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Did you know… SMC has been visiting every municipality in Lake County to talk about their stormwater needs?

Executive Director, Kurt Woolford, and the SMC team is taking time to meet with key municipal officials and departments in an effort to understand their drainage-related needs, trouble spots, priorities and how to improve water quality. The meetings, which began in May 2021, serve as a great way to grow relationships with area partners and the 52 municipalities within Lake County. With only a few meetings left, all Operation 52 meetings should be complete by the end of this month.

Lake County SMC Executive Assistant and long time county resident, Darcy McNeill says Operation 52, “has been very enlightening and interesting. I learn something new at each meeting. It's good to be reaching out to each municipality and I feel that the people we meet with appreciate it. I was born and raised in Lake County and we are going to places in the County that I have never been before— we have a wonderful county! I have finally met people who I have been in contact with via email or phone for 20+ years! It’s great to see people (and smiles) I haven’t seen for a long time, post COVID!"

Darcy and I are almost finished with Operation 52! What a journey it has been over the past year meeting with every municipality. We are excited to be breaking ground on many stormwater projects, with many more to come. Stay tuned for the unveiling of SMC's new online webtool to submit your proposals for future stormwater projects. Have a great 4^th of July weekend!