Requests for $650,000 for stream cleaning and $1 million for preliminary engineering work for flood control projects in Du Page County have been given priority for part of $3.9 million allocated by the county this year for flood control.
A series of contracts to begin the projects, the first to be authorized by the county`s Stormwater Management Committee since its inception late last year, are expected to be approved May 23.
The flood control projects under review by the committee were taken from a list of nearly 30 requests for financial assistance filed with the stormwater committee by 19 local governments. The total cost of the proposed projects was estimated by the county`s Public Works Department at more than $29 million.
Of that amount, more than $14 million is being sought from the committee. That`s more than three times the amount the county has allocated for flood control projects this year.
The committee`s staff has recommended spending $600,000 to be split equally to clean streams in the Salt Creek, East Du Page River and West Du Page River drainage basins and $50,000 for the cleanup of other, smaller waterways in basins throughout the rest of the county.
The funding for data collection and preliminary engineering approved by the committee comprises $200,000 for the Salt Creek, $100,00 for the East Du Page River, $650,000 for the West Du Page River basins and $50,000 for other drainage basins.
Including proposed construction projects, the committee has earmarked a total of $1,750,000 for the Salt Creek, $900,000 for the East Du Page River, $1 million for the West Du Page River basins and $250,000 for other drainage basins.
