Hobart and Merrillville requested more than $10.9 million from the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission on Wednesday for two separate flood prevention efforts.
In a presentation, Hobart City Engineer Phillip Gralik requested that the body fund just under 80% of a project expected to cost just under $12.4 million. The effort aims to reduce flooding in Hobart’s Cressmoor area along “Stinky Creek,” a tributary of Deep River with the construction of a new storm sewer. A 72-inch pipe would carry excess storm water northwards through the neighboring cities of New Chicago and Lake Station, emptying into Deep River. The plan would hasten the water’s journey to Lake Michigan by reducing its overall travel distance by over four miles, thus reducing flooding along the length of Deep River.
Flooding near Stinky Creek has been an issue for decades. Gralik told the commission that flooding affects 850 of the area’s homes, with stormwater entering around 10% of those residences during significant flooding events.
“I think we have 34 street locations that flood during major rain events,” he added. “A couple residents literally have used boats in the past to access their homes after major rain events.”
If the commission agrees to fund the project, Gralik said it will be completed by the fall of 2025. The plans, which would require a complete reconstruction of Wilson Street and Indiana Street, will require the city to coordinate with local schools in order to minimize the impact of construction on students’ daily commutes.
Matthew Lake, the executive director of Merrillville’s Stormwater Utility, asked the commission for $932,168 for a construction project aimed at protecting the town’s 400-unit Hickory Ridge apartment complex and nearby areas from flooding. The money, which would be matched by the town, would go towards the construction of an earthen berm to block flood water, improvements to existing storm sewers, and 8.4 acres of flood storage.
In February of 2018, the level of a nearby pond rose so dramatically that all of the apartment complex’s first-floor units took on water and suffered damage. In addition to safeguarding the apartment complex, the project would help alleviate the impact of flooding on four nearby roadways that are routinely made impassible during significant flooding.
Planning work on the flood control measures stretches back nearly a decade. The town’s 2014 Stormwater Master Plan identified the area as a top priority. Lake told the commission that the town of Merrillville has secured all of the easements and permits required to begin work.
“We’re basically shovel-ready at this point,” he said.
