A $6 million project in Wheeling, Illinois, is underway aimed at preventing decades of flooding in the area.
The project is expected to mitigate flooding in a neighborhood of about 180 homes. The construction will take place at the South Dunhurst subdivision, which is south of Dundee Road and east of Elmhurst Road.
The neighborhood currently has no way to convey stormwater out of the roads and properties. During heavy rainfalls events, which typically occur 2-3 times per year, water pools in roadways and yards. Although rare, if the water is disturbed by passing vehicles it can force water into garages and homes.
To mitigate flooding, a detention pond is being built along with thousands of feet of sewer pipes. Street-level inlets and drains will be installed in the area with the pipes being laid underground.
The project will convey stormwater from streets and yards into the new basin, which will slowly drain the water.
A stormwater basin helps collect stormwater and slowly release it back into local waterways, instead of flooding them quickly.
The newer sewer system was envisioned nearly a decade ago and was included in a 2015 master plan for flood mitigation efforts.
The construction will be completed in two phases.
The first will involve building a new naturalized detention basin north of Twain Elementary School near Mark Twain Park. Construction of the basin began in June 2024. 275 feet of pipe will be set near the basin.
The new basin will cover roughly 3 acres of the 3.4 acre site, which was previously owned by the Wheeling School District but was transferred to the village. The first phase should be completed before school starts in fall 2024.
The second phases involves roughly 3,600 feet of sewer pipes that will be connected together with the basin. Construction on the piped is estimated to begin by winter 2024.
When these projects are completed, as well as a few others like a new culvert beneath a northern stretch of Wheeling road, a new stormwater master plan will be developed for the area.
