The Village of Oak Park | 123 Madison St.  Oak Park, IL 60302 | village@oak-park.us

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Rain overwhelms sewer system

July 18, 2015 - Monday’s torrential rainfall left many property owners with damaged goods in their basements. Northeast Oak Park – the lowest point in the community – was hardest hit.

The three inches of rain – most falling in less than an hour - overwhelmed the Village sewer system’s capacity, officials say.  The sewer system was functioning properly, however, as the water quickly receded once the rain slowed.

Staff in the Public Works Department have fielded calls and emails from about 180 homes, most coming after the Village used social media Wednesday to spread the word about arrangements being made with Waste Management to pick up flood-damaged items.

Waste-hauling trucks are scheduled to be in the Village Friday and Saturday picking up items for residents who called 708.358.5700 or emailed publicworks@oak-park.us and asked to be put on a special collection list.

Staff was on the job until 10 p.m., Monday, responding to calls about standing water, manhole covers dislodged by the intensity of flowing water and basements backups.

The Village Manager’s Office also received several calls and emails Tuesday from residents concerned about the situation and asking what could be done to prevent a future occurence.

A study conducted in 2011after the extensive flooding examined the sewer system in detail and determined that even if the capacity of the Village system was increased at substantial cost, the problems likely would continue under extreme weather conditions because of the capacity of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District receptor system to carry flow away from the community.

That study led to a public education campaign to convince property owners to disconnect their downspouts from the sewer system and the creation of the Sewer Backup Protection Grant Program.

While some communities require property owners to disconnect their gutters from the sewer system, Oak Park encourages voluntary cooperation. Officials say they hoped that when residents considered that a one-inch rainfall on a 1,000-square-foot roof can produce 600 gallons of water, theywould understand how diverting storm water from downspouts away from the municipal sewer system can help reduce the chances of basement flooding.

Other recommendations included urging property owners to consider using rain barrels to store storm water for future use and creating rain gardens or using native plants in landscaping to help absorb runoff.