The completion of a $2.4 million flood control project in Calumet Park is expected to provide relief from the rain and persistent flooding, according to officials.
During a recent rainy ribbon cutting event, officials said the project is already paying benefits, pointing out water that would typically pool in streets and yards was draining off.
Cook County funding, through a combination of grant money and other assistance, helped pay for the project, which Calumet Park Mayor Ronald Denson said has been needed for several years.
Denson said he has been mayor for a decade, and “this area was flooded all the time.”
Denson said the grant was the largest funding received in Calumet Park’s nearly 100-year history.
The project combines “gray” and “green” infrastructure, such as new and enlarged storm sewers as well as bioswales to divert rainfall and permeable paving blocks and permeable asphalt drive lanes, according to Cook County. The permeable surfaces allow rain to penetrate into the ground rather than running off and ponding.
The corridor includes Winchester Avenue from 124th Street to 127th Street, and is expected to handle nearly 186,000 gallons of stormwater during each storm, according to the county.
As part of the reconstruction project, storm and sanitary sewer systems were separated, and drainage structures were replaced.
With the combined sewers, some residents would see sewage backups into basements along with stormwater.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said with the completion of the work, “rain will no longer lead to financial burdens associated with flooding.”
Work included rebuilding 2,000 feet of Winchester, installing 1,400 square yards of permeable pavement and more than 3,000 feet of perforated drain tile under the street.
Denson said Calumet Park knew that in order to fix the flooding problem, a total street reconstruction was needed, but the village lacked the money.
“We had to redo the whole infrastructure,” including new, separated sewer lines, he said.
Cook County’s Department of Planning and Development contributed close to $2 million in Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery funds to the project. This funding is allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Denson said the village knew it needed outside money, such as grants, but had limited staff available to make the necessary applications. He thanked county officials for shepherding through the grant process.
“They walked along with us hand in hand through this whole process,” he said.
The county’s Department of Transportation and Highways contributed $172,000 in Invest in Cook funds for the project’s design engineering in 2018 and the county’s Department of Environment and Sustainability added $247,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds through the RainReady Green Infrastructure Implementation Program, which launched in September 2022.
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County officials said Calumet Park is the first RainReady project funded through rescue plan funds, but they are working with five other Southland communities — Blue Island, Calumet City, Dolton, Riverdale and Robbins.
In 2016, Cook County’s Department of Planning and Development used block grant money to partner with the Center for Neighborhood Technology to create RainReady plans for Calumet Park and the five other communities.
Using $6 million in federal COVID-19 pandemic stimulus funds from rescue plan, the county will fund the selection, engineering, construction and maintenance of green infrastructure projects in the Calumet Corridor.