Stormwater Management Commission

APPROVED MINUTES OF A SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT COMMISSION VILLAGE OF NORTHBROOK COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS July 18, 2013 Village Engineer Paul Kendzior called the meeting to order at 6:35 P.M. in the Board Room at the Village Hall. Members present: Adele Sturgis, Eugene Chodash, Peter Rosner, Craig Hetue, Johanna Hebl, Leonard Rago and Thomas Burke. Staff present: Assistant Director of Public Works Matt Morrison and Minute Recorder Colleen Brunner. Minutes: Member Sturgis presented detailed and lengthy suggested changes to the minutes. Due to the public nature of the July 18th agenda and the lack of time available, a motion was made and seconded to discuss these minutes at the next meeting. Hear From the Audience: Residents from three areas of the Village were present at the meeting. A representative from each area was selected to speak to the Commission regarding their flooding concerns. Willow Creek Subdivision: Walter Klinger of 2294 Elm Ridge Drive has lived in his home since 1987. Flooding of the streets has been a continual problem. Since the Techny Drain project was completed late last year, the water levels in the creek, yards and streets has decreased, but was still stranded in his house for 4 hours during the June 26th rainstorm. As a whole, his area is looking to the Village for guidance of what they can do to protect themselves to avoid future damages. They are questioning; 1) Did the Techny Drain relief storm sewer perform as designed? Without it would have the flooding been worse? 2) What is the status of the Phase 4 of the Techny Drain project and why can’t the Village execute eminent domain? 3) Can the Village assist in the clearing of the Techny Drain-South Fork behind 2580 Elm Ridge? 4) If and when the Phase 4 of the Techny Drain project is completed, will the substandard drain pipes still be inadequate? Paul Kendzior responded to the all the above questions as follows; All four phases of the Techny Drain project are completed. As a result of the project being completed, there was much less flow in the South Fork, therefore street flooding went down faster. The creek (South Fork) is actually on private property and the Village can’t clear brush, debris, etc. without permission of each private property owner. Since the South Fork serves as the outfall for the local storm sewer system that drains the roadway, the Village does have some limited authority to remove blockages and obstructions. Additionally, Village Engineer Kendzior showed a map of the existing storm sewers in the east and west portions of the subdivision. It was evident they are substandard and few in number. One possible option to reduce street flooding would be to construct a relief sewer that would also require lot acquisition for detention as mitigation. The Village could consider including this improvement project as an Addendum #2 to the Master Plan. There are 22 projects in the Master Plan (with seven projects completed or in the process of being completed) and six projects as part of Addendum #1. This would leave twenty-one (21) projects ahead of this possible improvement. Member’s comments; MINUTES OF A SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT COMMISSION July 18, 2013 Page |2 Peter Rosner- He urged homeowners to get photos and information of flooding conditions to the Village staff. Was the flooding limited to roadways and streets? He thought the Village could assist with information on how to clear the creek. Len Rago- He wanted to make sure the area knew 18 projects are ahead of them at this time. The ranking and funding of their area is dependent on the number of homes impacted in the area. Johanna Hebl- She would like residents to consider alternative drainage projects they could complete such as rain gardens. Expressed again, that their area will need ranking and it will be some time before completion. Adele Sturgis- She thanked the residents for being an advocate for the area. She felt they needed more data with damages, sources of water, etc. before being considered added to the Master Plan. Gene Chodash- He felt that if the flooding in the area is limited to street flooding, it would rank low. Chairman Robicsek- Asked that the representatives put in writing the questions asked tonight and provide any structural damages records and photos. Also, should the Commission consider a motion to undertake an engineering study to enable the area to be ranked? Member Hebl requested we put a hold on that motion. Village Engineer Kendzior- Stated there is chronic street flooding in the Willow Creek subdivision, and since the entire Techny Drain project has now been completed, it has highlighted how inadequate the local storm sewer system is. Jay Rosenbloom of 2574 Canterbury Drive spoke that he did not have any structural damage this rain event but had damage two years ago. His concerns are that he takes on other properties water. Can the Village require people to clear the creek, same as with Ordinances requiring lawn mowing? Is the Techny Drain project working? Can we exercise eminent domain on Greenview Road to install piping to alleviate flooding? Village Engineer Kendzior- The Techny Drain performed as intended and eminent domain is no longer necessary because a different option working for the Phase 4 portion of the project (relief sewer down Pfingsten Road) was completed instead. Adele Sturgis- She asked Village Engineer Kendzior if remapping of the Techny Drain floodplain is a possibility as it has been reduced as a result of the completed project. Village Engineer Kendzior indicated that he is working on a Proposal from our consultant, HLR, Inc. for that very purpose. Chairman Robicsek asked for a motion to study area, but other members desired to put it on hold until the next meeting because additional information is needed on the number of homes impacted. On a motion made and seconded, consideration of the study will be placed on the next meeting agenda. Walter Klinger- Could the Village sent out a questionnaire to the Willow Creek Subdivision to ask questions concerning flooding issues. Village Engineer Kendzior will confer with the Public Works Administrative staff, but stated that the return rate of those is usually less than 13% (i.e. a lot of effort with very little return). Illinois Road: Rich Ciota of 2019 Illinois Road stated that he had structural damage in 2011 and 2013. Wanted to know where the area is ranked on Master Plan and what can they do as homeowners? MINUTES OF A SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT COMMISSION July 18, 2013 Page |3 Village Engineer Kendzior- The Illinois Road area is benefitted by many projects combined. Those include the Shermer Road Overflow Sewer, Oak Avenue Storage, Wescott Park and Northbrook Manor will all work together collectively to help the area. Homeowners who are experiencing back-ups from the sanitary sewer system can participate in the sanitary sewer overhead conversion cost sharing program with the Village. Ron Adelman of 2023 Illinois Road stated the street was a river with water ran past the sidewalks. The rear of his home was the worst, with water up to the doors. He is running out of patience, the streets have been flooding since 2007. He is not hearing anything concrete that is being done. Henry Fetta of 2027 Illinois Road has lived there since 1999. It seems the issues started in 2000 and have gotten worse. Attributed to the building of larger homes. Feels home values will plummet due to flooding issues. Village Engineer Kendzior- The June 26th rainstorm was too much rain for an already saturated ground. Explained the Shermer Road Outlet will not be an easy project implement because of the necessary easement and Railroad License Agreements. The contract for the project design is scheduled for the August 13th Board meeting. If all goes well, construction could begin in the summer of 2014. Peter Rosner- He explained the ranking system, ranking order, structure flooding and street flooding. Len Rago- We must also look at what homeowners can do privately as Village projects will provide only partial protection. Johanna Hebl- Urged residents to not be patient, come to meetings and let your voice be heard. Perhaps the Village can utilize the landlocked area behind the 7-11 to purchase and convert to detention. Adele Sturgis- Feels street storage is the answer to some of the flooding issues. Homeowners could install glass block window wells, flood walls. Uncertain if the two projects are going to help this area. Chairman Robicsek- It will take time to see the effects of these projects. The Shermer Road Overflow Sewer project will take one year for final engineering design, easement acquisition and License Agreements, etc. Oak Avenue: Pam Nelson of 2424 Oak Avenue stated she has lived there since 1968. She wanted an update on the Oak Avenue Storage project. What can we do to make everyone aware of the project? Missy Lyons of 2411 Oak Avenue went on the website and it states the area did not have structural damage. Many do have structural damage. She did her own survey and has met previously with Paul Kendzior. She is at the point where she does not want to live here anymore, its expensive to keep flooding. Natalie Hurtado of 2420 Oak Avenue stated any rain causes a problem in the area. This is a low area that takes surface runoff from Maple Avenue and Illinois Road. Village Engineer Kendzior- The Village is aware of the problems the residents are experiencing in this area. The proposed conceptual project as currently contained in the Master Plan needs a significant amount of additional storage to achieve the desired level of flood protection. The project is still a priority, but location(s) for the additional storage need to be identified. MINUTES OF A SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT COMMISSION July 18, 2013 Page |4 Report on the June 26, 2013 Rainstorm: A written report was included in the packet. Village Engineer Kendzior’s comments included that the flooding was mostly localized to Northbrook and Glenview. The regional reservoirs at Techny and Meadowhill Park were at 100% capacity and the Lake-Cook Road and Northbrook Court reservoirs were at 75% capacity. A total of 3.5-inches fell during the 6-hour long storm, with 1.65-inches in a 30-minute interval and just over 3.25-inches in 3-hours. Surface flooding was “amplified” by saturated ground conditions from the week’s previous storms. The Public Works Department responded to just over 70 calls during the storm. Stormwater Management Improvement Projects Update: Village Engineer Kendzior indicated that the Sunnyacres project is almost completed with installation of native plantings. The Ridge-Lee project is completed. IDOT cleaned the ditch draining the box culvert at Skokie/Dundee; The 75% complete design for the Shermer Road at the UPRR Bridge project is underway and the Wescott Park Proposed Storage Facility Study is also underway. Adele Sturgis- Are we discussing with the consultant a floodwall for Cherry Lane or raising of the sidewalk? Gene Chodash- Feels it is important that the Commission has a critique of this meeting. Would like to meet to discuss, possibly on August 15th. Adele Sturgis- encourages all members to read the Cook County report on cost and prevalence of urban flooding. Additional comments to the written report entailed concerns of maintenance of the rain garden as the home passes from owner to owner. Member Sturgis would like to see clearer rules and regulations of rain gardens with respect to size, depth, soil and placement. After some discussion, the Commission would like the Village to create some guidelines for rain gardens. Perhaps an inspection 2-3 years after installation could be tied to receiving the Village funding. New Business: None. Next Meeting: August 15, 2013. Adjourn: On a motion made and seconded, the meeting adjourned at 8:30 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Colleen Brunner K:\PUBLICWORKS\ENGINEERING DIVISION\MINUTES\STORMWATER MANAGEMENT COMM\2013\7-18-13 APPROVED STORMWATER COMMISSION.DOCX