TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF FEBRUARY 18, 2010
COMMITTEE ON STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
Mr. Richard Lanyon, Executive Director
Title
Request for approval to pursue design of flood control projects identified under the completed Detailed Watershed Plans and to be funded under the District’s Stormwater Management Fund
Body
Dear Sir:
Pursuant to the authority for regional stormwater management granted to the District by the Illinois General Assembly under Public Act 93-1049, the District initiated development of Detailed Watershed Plans (DWPs) to conceptually identify potential capital projects that would address regional stormwater related problems in the six major watersheds in Cook County. DWPs have been completed for the Calumet-Sag Channel, Little Calumet River, and Upper Salt Creek watersheds. The recommended methodology for prioritization of capital projects to be funded under the Stormwater Management Capital Improvement Program (CIP) was presented to the Board of Commissioners on September 3, 2009.
Each potential capital project arising from the completed DWPs has been categorized as either streambank stabilization or flood control based on its primary objective. The methodology for project prioritization recommended that critical streambank stabilization projects receive the highest priority for funding under the CIP. The Board of Commissioners subsequently approved a request to pursue the design of six streambank stabilization projects on January 21, 2010.
The project prioritization methodology established the next highest priority to be flood control projects, which are ranked by factors including: project benefit-to-cost ratio, number of benefiting communities (below), total dollar cost of project, total dollar benefit of project, and roadway flooding. All listed projects are considered regional even though only one community may be listed below. The nine regional flood control projects listed herein were identified under the DWPs as addressing flooding damages along intercommunity waterways and are recommended for design.
Watershed DWP Project ID Communities Location
Little Calumet River CHEB-G3 Homewood Cherry Creek at Governors
Hwy and Braemar Rd
Little Calumet River LCRW-G5 South Holland Little Calumet River at
158th St and Church Dr
Calumet-Sag Channel TICR-5 Orland Hills, Tinley Creek between
Orland Park 88th Ave and Laurel Dr
Little Calumet River THCR-G2 Park Forest, Sauk Trail Road
Richton Park,
S Chicago Heights
Calumet-Sag Channel TICR-3 Alsip, Cook County, Tinley Creek between
Crestwood, Worth 127th St and 129th St
Upper Salt Creek SCAH-50 Palatine Dundee Rd and Cherrywood
Dr
Little Calumet River PLCR-G1 Dyer, Indiana Plum Creek near Illinois-
Indiana border
Calumet-Sag Channel NVCR-3 Palos Heights Palos Meadows Subdivision
Little Calumet River DRCR-G1 Ford Heights Deer Creek between
US Route 30 and 8th St
Further details for each project are provided in the attached document.
The initial step in pursuing these projects will involve selecting engineering consulting firms and entering into agreements with them to provide preliminary engineering services. The preliminary engineering services will include a detailed review of assumptions made with respect to these projects in the DWP to verify their viability and, for viable projects, to define a detailed scope of work for the engineering services necessary for final design of the project. Recommendations to and decisions by the Board of Commissioners with respect to actual construction of any project will not be made until both the final design and final estimates have been completed.
It is therefore requested that the Executive Director recommend to the Board of Commissioners that it approve this request to pursue the design of the flood control projects listed above and identified under the completed Detailed Watershed Plans to be funded under the District’s Stormwater Management Fund.
Requested, Joseph P. Sobanski, Director of Engineering, WSS:JPM
Recommended, Richard Lanyon, Executive Director
Respectfully Submitted, Debra Shore, Chairman Committee on Stormwater Management
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Regular Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for February 18, 2010
Attachment