The Fox River is starting to slowly recede, but to what extent it continues depends on where and how much rain falls Monday, the National Weather Service says.
Heavy rainfall is expected Monday into Tuesday, a NWS official said, which could result in the “Fox River (climbing) back to near where it was this week” depending on where the heaviest part of the storms strike. The forecast as Saturday called for a 90% chance of severe thunderstorms in the Elgin area overnight Monday.
With most municipalities at or exceeding flood levels, here is where things stood as of week’s end and what was being affected by the high water.
ELGIN
“Overall, Elgin remains relatively unaffected compared to other communities along the Fox River,” city spokeswoman Josie Beecher-Crotty said.
McBride Street experienced some minor street-level flooding following recent storms, but no residents were displaced, she said
As of Friday, Walton Island Park remained closed due to elevated river levels. City officials are asking the public to obey all posted signage and to not attempt to enter the area. There are no other significant impacts to city property or projects, Beecher-Crotty said.
“Flooding has been limited in Elgin, largely due to proactive steps the city has taken over the past 10 to 15 years to reduce risk,” she said.
Those steps include acquiring properties in the floodplain, maintaining creeks and waterways, and completing drainage improvements in areas like Tyler and Poplar creeks, she said.
DUNDEE TOWNSHIP
Dundee Township Highway Commissioner David Schulz said there have been considerable road flooding issues in the unincorporated Richardson subdivision off Dundee Avenue, just south of East Dundee.
“We’ve put barricades and signs up there to prevent people from driving through. That causes wakes that can cause more issues for people already dealing with water issues on their property,” Schulz said. “Please don’t gawk at the situation there.”
He noted that some Richardson residents are parking outside the barricades. Over the years, residents there have grown accustomed to high Fox levels affecting their neighborhood, he said.
“This isn’t their first rodeo,” Schulz said.
Scott Buziecki, director of the Office of Kane County Emergency Management, said that as of Thursday afternoon, no one from the subdivision had reached out to them for assistance.
While not as bad as in Richardson, the Algonquin Shores subdivision just south of Algonquin has had flooding issues too.
“We took about 19 tons of sand to the shores,” Schulz said.
EAST DUNDEE
East Dundee Village Board Trustee Matt Oclon and his family have lived close to the Fox River on Johnson Street since 2019 and had water-related issues in 2020, he said.
This time, his neighborhood has seen yard flooding, with water getting to within a couple feet of some houses, he said. Many sump pumps have been running constantly to remove water from crawl spaces, Oclon said.
“Nobody’s panicking yet. A good many neighbors have been through this before,” he said.
As for the village itself, Public Works Director Phil Cotter said there have been no significant flooding issues on public property. There has been some water in parking lanes near some of the houses on Dundee Avenue not far from the vacant Haeger Pottery building, he said.
As of Friday, the village’s nonmotorized watercraft launch on the Fox, which was installed last fall, remained partially submerged.
Staff have been checking it daily and put up barricades, Cotter said. Helping keep the dock from being damaged is that the water flows more slowly along the riverbank.The launch was designed to withstand fluctuating water levels, he said.
WEST DUNDEE
Village Manager Joe Cavallaro said the primary areas impacted by high water are Lincoln Avenue near the Lincoln Avenue Apartments, which is currently barricaded due to about a half-foot of water covering the roadway, and First Street north of Route 72, where the village’s north parking lot is impassable.
“The water was about 10 to 15 feet from the Bleuroot and RocHaus buildings,” Cavallaro said. “We have been in contact with the property owner but based on the forecast, we do not believe any additional action is necessary at this point.”
Also impacted is Edwards Avenue, a dead-end street along the river where water is on the roadway for the last four houses and the driveways unusable, he said.
Parts of the village’s riverwalk, including its gazebo, were underwater too. Cavallaro said this is typical when the river level goes above 9 feet. With an expected crest of more than 12 feet, the current situation would make it the third highest crest on record, he said.
“We aren’t expecting any significant changes in river elevation so no further action is anticipated,” Cavallaro said.
SOUTH ELGIN
“From a village-wide perspective, the flooding has been more of a nuisance than a significant problem,” South Elgin spokesman Craig Pierce said. “Walking along the Fox River Trail, it’s evident there’s standing water in the back yards of some homes, but no residents have reached out to our code enforcement/certified flood manager Paul Kruse.”
South Elgin’s efforts to buy homes in the Fox floodway have greatly reduced the amount of damage incurred during times of high water, Pierce said.
“The precautions and proactive flood management initiatives have actually reduced flood insurance premiums for our residents,” he said.
The village has offered complimentary sand and sandbags but only a dozen or so sandbags have been filled, Pierce said.
“Village retention and detention ponds and storm sewers appear to be working just fine. The only changes we’ve encountered at this point is the temporary closure of trails and parks along the river’s edge — SEBA, Lions and Panton Mill,” he said.
The new ADA-accessible nonmotorized boat launch is also closed and barricaded to kayakers and canoeists.
New drainage installed under Panton Mill Park help tremendously during recent bouts of heavy rain, Pierce said.
“It accommodates the storm sewer flow of water from up the hill to the river. When rebuilding Panton Mill Park in 2020, an old foundation was uncovered below ground which previously blocked some of that flow,” he said. “While the park is closed for precautionary reasons, the area is really well-drained. Prior to the rebuild, the entire park property would have been a marshy swamp for weeks.”
CARPENTERSVILLE
“Fortunately, we have not had any significant flooding issues to houses or public areas,” Village Manager Brad Stewart said. “The layout of Carpentersville is such that there are not many houses in designated flood plains or immediately adjacent to the Fox River.”
The past decade of focused drainage improvement projects to many village streets, particularly in Old Town, greatly resolved flooding or standing water in yards and streets. As a result, Carpentersville has had no road closures due to recent high water levels, Stewart said.
Some village construction projects that involved open digging or paving were delayed by the rain but that’s not unexpected in April, he said.
“Riverfront Park has not been significantly impacted. The work being done right now is primarily utilities, and the ground wasn’t that bad,” he said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
