Hats On and Shovels Ready, SMC Construction Is Starting
Spring is construction season in Illinois. Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) is gearing up for several infrastructure projects to vastly improve regional and local stormwater issues that will help reduce flooding impacts for hard hit communities across Lake County.
This year’s projects include the long-awaited historic infrastructure improvement in Park City that will reduce flooding for more than 800 properties. Grant funds will be used to construct culverts and storm sewer system upgrades extending from IL 120 south to the Greenbelt Forest Preserve. There also will be modifications and the replacement of the stormwater system restrictor plate at the Casimir Pulaski Drive culvert.
“Lake County is fortunate to enjoy an abundance of water. However, we have reached a critical impasse due to the larger rain events occurring with greater frequency in our area due to climate change. The appropriation of funding for additional flood reduction is crucial to the future of our county. Continuing the momentum, this year’s goal is to upgrade aging stormwater infrastructure within the county that is undersized and unable to handle the increasing volume from larger rain events,” said Kurt Woolford, Executive Director of Lake County Stormwater Management.
Last year, Lake County received an initial $30 million of the $122 million granted in State funding. This funding for regional stormwater projects from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) was immediately put to work to improve regional and local stormwater issues.
According to Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart, “Since its inception, the Stormwater Management Commission has prioritized efforts to secure funding to modernize the stormwater infrastructure throughout our county to manage rainwater runoff. This provides flood reduction while reducing pollutants in our water systems and groundwater replenishment, which is something we all can celebrate.”
A total of 14 stormwater improvement projects were funded by the initial money received. The DCEO grant afforded construction of seven projects to begin in Antioch, Fox Lake, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Libertyville, Libertyville Township in 2022 and supported the final engineering on seven other projects for construction in 2023. Working with local community partners, SMC identified 52 additional project locations that are in critical need of infrastructure upgrades. Information on each of these projects can be found in the Lake County Stormwater Grants in Action book posted the Stormwater Management Commission website. The projects listed will be funded through the remaining appropriated funds once the monies are released by the State of Illinois.
“These improvements to our county infrastructure address safety concerns our residents experience when there are stronger storms, and it means Lake County residents can worry less about flooding,” said Donny Schmit, Mayor of the Village of Fox Lake and Chair of the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission. “While we can’t always prevent flooding, there are steps we can take to reduce its impact on the community. Partnerships with local jurisdictions as well as state and federal agencies play a key role in flood damage reduction, but more still needs to be done.”
In addition to Park City, projects in Antioch, Warren Township, Libertyville, Grayslake, and Shields Township are scheduled to start construction in 2023. Looking ahead, SMC will continue to provide preliminary engineering and project development to have shovel-ready projects for remaining funding opportunities. Click here to watch the SMC 2022 Recap and Looking Ahead Video.
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