Stormwater School Begins in Elmhurst

Of the many metaphors used Tuesday night to describe how Elmhurst is dealing with the aftermath of July's flooding, perhaps Mayor Peter DiCianni's was the most apt.

"We're all in the same boat," he said.

That boat will get more direction in the coming months from a task force set up in the wake of the summer rains. On Tuesday night, that group, along with the Elmhurst City Council, began learning more about the city's stormwater system, with the ultimate goal of finding solutions to ensure that the city can better handle the next big rain event.

DiCianni told the audience that due to the overwhelming response to his call for residents to serve on the stormwater task force, the group would be expanded from 30 to 40 members. He noted that many of the members have engineering or finance backgrounds, and that members will come from all parts of the city.

Tuesday's workshop, focusing on the city's wastewater treatment plant, is the first of four that will take place in the next two months, explained City Manager Thomas Borchert. After the workshops, the task force will make stormwater system upgrade recommendations to the public works committee, Borchert explained, which may include hiring outside companies or finding funding sources.  

Public Works Director Michael Hughes presented an overview of the 18-acre wastewater treatment plant at the southwest corner of Route 83 and St. Charles Road, one of the largest in DuPage County with an average daily flow of 9.8 million gallons per day. The last major upgrade to the plant was in the early 1990s, when plant capacity was increased by 50 percent following the major flood of 1987.

Currently, the plant can fully treat 20 million gallons per day, but it can partially treat up to 79 million gallons per day. After that capacity is reached, untreated sewage is pumped directly into Salt Creek. Hughes reported that this happened in July, but before this summer it had not occurred in 20 years.

During storms, water from homes built before 1970 flows into the stormwater system, which impacts the capacity of the plant. Homes built after 1970 were constructed with separate sanitary and storm sewers, which keeps stormwater from being unnecessarily treated at the plant. DiCianni emphasized this point to the audience.

"The new homes are doing it right," he said.

Fifth Ward Alderman Chris Nybo asked why water from so many homes still flowed into the stormwater system. Borchert said that these properties drain by gravity, which is very difficult and expensive to retrofit.

The next workshop will take place on Monday, Oct. 25, and will focus on the role of Salt Creek in the city's stormwater management system. Other topics will include the sanitary system and the street-level stormwater system.