Water In Elmhurst Streets? It's Part Of System

Elmhurst IL

02 February, 2021

8:17 AM

Description

ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst's city engineer says some people think water should never collect in streets after a rainstorm. The city sees it differently. "If we see water in the streets and it goes away in 10 or 30 minutes after the rain event, we don't consider that something wrong with the system. We consider that a part of the system," City Engineer Kent Johnson said in response to a question during a virtual meeting last week. "We'd rather have water in the street filling up by a foot than in your basement or your neighbor's basement." Johnson said water that is limited to the city's right-of-way has little effect. "If a street fills up with one foot of water and it doesn't affect anybody, that's going to happen when we get heavy rains," Johnson said. "That's OK, and it doesn't hurt anybody. Yes, if someone drives through it, it could damage their car. All in all, it's part of the drainage system. Johnson was speaking during a meeting about the College View stormwater project, which is set for this summer at York High School. For years, city officials have stated that streets are part of the local drainage system. At the same time, the city has spent millions in areas where stormwater goes beyond streets and damages homes.