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Lake County Stormwater Management Commission Newsletter

August 2025

Sylvan Lake Dam Rebuild Celebrated

The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) had the pleasure to recently co-host a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Fremont Township Highway Department to celebrate the completion of the Sylvan Lake Dam Modification Project in unincorporated Mundelein. The event was attended by officials from the Lake County Board, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood and members of the community. Constructed over a 100 years ago, the Sylvan Lake Dam is an earthen dam that had reached the end of its useful life. It was completely reconstructed to address critical infrastructure needs and protect local waterways and natural resources. SMC worked closely with the Fremont Township Highway Department and Sylvan Lake community to get this project finalized. The dam was redesigned to modern standards to withstand more intense storm events. Additionally, the previously exposed above-ground sanitary sewer lines along North Highland Drive were relocated underground. The dam was an environmental risk because of the exposed sanitary sewer lines running through the spillway walls. The updates to the dam significantly reduce the risk of failure and contamination of the area. Learn more about this project. Watch this video to see highlights from the ribbon cutting.

SMC Enjoys a Project Site Tour
Around the County

SMC held a mobile staff meeting in July, braving the heat and humidity, to see a mixture of stormwater and environmental improvement projects in the Lake Michigan watershed in Lake County.

The first tour stop was in Lake Bluff to see the upcoming West Scranton Avenue Viaduct Project. The area under the viaduct is highly susceptible to flooding and will be connected to an outfall that will drain flood waters into Lake Michigan. This project will be done in two parts. The first phase will include construction of a large diameter sewer from the North and Moffett Avenues intersection to the existing Lake Michigan outlet. In the second phase, a larger diameter storm sewer system will be created, extending from the railroad viaduct in downtown Lake Bluff to Lake Michigan.

Next was a visit to the Waukegan Dunes at the Waukegan Municipal Beach. The area features one mile of natural sand dunes, some of the only remaining in the area. We learned about the environmental history of the area and the clean-up efforts from multiple industrial businesses that previously occupied the area adjunct to the dunes and beach.

In Beach Park, we visited the Marguerite Drive Landslide Buyout project area. The backyard of a residence was slowly eroding and falling down into a ravine with a creek. The home was becoming unsafe for inhabitation and took part in SMC’s Floodplain Buyout Program. The house was demolished, the site area stabilized, and the steep drop of the ravine planted with native vegetation.

We finished out the day visiting Isherwood Beach in Illinois Beach State Park. Staff hiked along the beach for a mile to see the breakwaters built in 2024 as part of a shoreline stabilization project. The beach and park were losing up to 100 feet per year from erosion. Twenty-two offshore breakwaters, made of large piles of rocks and sand, were created to reduce wave energy and help preserve and restore the area’s unique ecosystem that includes dunes, woodlands and wetlands.

These annual SMC site tours help educate staff about different improvement projects and conservation efforts countywide across municipalities and organizations; inspiring them to learn about different processes to continue SMC’s mission to keep Lake County’s watersheds healthy. 

Clockwise from top left: SMC staff visiting the Lake Michigan outfall in Lake Bluff, learning about the Waukegan Dunes, and a group photo in front of the breakwaters in Lake Michigan at Illinois Beach State Park

Accepting WMB Request for Proposals

The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) is still accepting request for proposals (RFPs) for the annual Watershed Management Board (WMB) funded projects for Fiscal Year 2026 until Tuesday, September 30 at 2 p.m.

This opportunity is available to all local watershed groups, landowners, homeowner associations, municipalities, townships, county governments, land conservancies and trusts, park districts, and other land managing agencies. All project proposals must be submitted electronically through SMC's INFLOW portal.

SMC staff will review all proposal submissions based on the project prioritization criteria and will make recommendations to the WMB for their approval of projects at the December 10 WMB meeting. Project proposals recommended for funding by the WMB will be forwarded to the January 2026 SMC meeting for final approval and funding appropriations.

For more information, visit SMC's website.

Join Our INFLOW Webinar

If you’re new to the INFLOW system, join our INFLOW Instructional Webinar and Q&A on Wednesday, August 20 at 10 a.m. via Zoom to learn how to submit electronic requests for proposals to the Watershed Management Board for Fiscal Year 2026. Register now!

Mark Your Calendars!

IWEER Wetland Delineation Course

The Institute for Wetland & Environmental Education & Research (IWEER), in collaboration with the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC), is excited to announce the return of the highly regarded Basic Wetland Delineation Class from September 16 to 19 at the Central Permit Facility in Libertyville.

For more information about the IWEER Wetland Delineation Class course content and registration, contact Barbara at barbara@wetlanded.com or call (413) 441-3708.

Plants of the Wetland Boundary Class

On September 15, SMC’s Juli Crane will be hosting an introductory class, Plants of the Wetland Boundary, as a learning opportunity for those who lack plant identification experience. The class is for those registered to attend the IWEER Delineation Class. It is a field-oriented day, with reference material, to familiarize you with plants common to wetland borders in the Chicago area. More information Winter Best Practices Workshops Save the date for this year's Winter Best Practices Workshops taking place from September through November. There will be a mix of in-person and virtual options available for Public Roads and Parking Lots & Sidewalks workshops. Registration information will be available soon.  Lake County Calibration Workshop Back by popular demand! Lake County will be hosting a FREE in-person calibration event in Libertyville on November 4. This is an opportunity to bring winter maintenance vehicles to be calibrated. One-hour time slots will be available. Full details will be available soon.

Meet our Newest Intern, Sarah!

Introducing our newest intern, Sarah Skolozynski. As the Planning, Regulatory and Support Intern, she’ll be focusing on outfall inspections on behalf of the County and working with the watershed workgroups for the Des Plaines River and North Branch of the Chicago River. This will include running public meetings, helping to write reports and a variety of GIS projects.

Sarah graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2024 with a major in Environmental Sciences. She’s from the Northwest side of Chicago and enjoys running, going to concerts and visiting new forest preserves and national parks with friends. Welcome to the team, Sarah!