Officials in suburban Cicero are asking for better communication after storms deluged the area on Sunday, but the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago says it acted appropriately to try to limit flooding amid the heavy rain.
The district has a variety of tactics it can use to help ease burdens on sewers and prevent flood damage in areas near the Chicago River. They executed many of those plans on Sunday, including reversing the flow of the river both in downtown and near the Wilmette locks.
Still, Cicero officials say the district waited too long to open drainage lines, which could have mitigated flood damage that many residents suffered.
“When they don’t release it back in a timely manner, it just backs right up,” Cicero Assessor Emilio Cundari said. “It’s into our sewer system and into the streets of our town, and into the basement of the residents of our town.”
Ed Staudacher of the MWRD defended the decisions made Sunday, saying that opening drainage channels too early would have had disastrous consequences.
“If we open a lock too early, we’re going to be bringing the lake into the river system,” he said.
Staudacher also argued that if drainage had occurred too early, which was achieved by opening locks and allowing water from the branches of the Chicago River to enter Lake Michigan, then damage could have been done to not just the Chicago Riverwalk, but also to other communities located downstream.
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Kari Steele, the president of the MWRD board, encouraged residents to do their part by reducing the amount of water they’re putting into the sewer system during times of severe weather.
“We’re asking everyone to conserve water at home,” she said. “That will help ensure water is able to get through your local sewer lines, and then MWRD can collect that storm water.”
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Cundari emphasized that he wants to find common solutions with MWRD, and that he’s not simply pointing fingers after a unique weather event.
“I think it’s just a matter of getting everybody at the table and trying to get this worked out so that when these big large rains happen again in the future, there’s some kind of system in place where we can get that water released a lot faster,” he said.
Cicero officials are asking town residents to fill out a form for water damage assessment.
