Cook County invested $20 million to advance 26 stormwater management projects in underserved communities across the county, board President Toni Preckwinkle announced June 24.
Projects that received at least $1 million were in Harvey, South Holland, Park Ridge and Maine Township, Burbank and Oak Lawn, Bedford Park, Lyons Township, Crestwood and Midlothian, Northfield Township and a project between Forest View, Lyons and McCook.
The county also awarded $2 million for voluntary flood-prone property buyouts and stormwater storage in non-flood plain areas at undetermined locations.
The funding came from the American Rescue Plan Act to support the county’s climate resiliency objectives, which address widespread flooding issues that affect residents in primarily underserved communities.
Jennifer Killen, superintendent of the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways, said the initiative aims to strengthen stormwater management infrastructure across communities in response to increasing climate change challenges.
To select projects in communities with the greatest need, the department evaluated more than 120 projects before narrowing down to 26 based on readiness and funding gaps, Killen said.
Recipients were chosen from submissions in the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s bi-annual call for projects, the Cook County’s hazard mitigation plan and known flooding issues, she said.
Killen said funding for these projects helps address the widespread flooding issue in the county.
“We’re looking at structure flooding, roadway flooding, flooding that may end up providing negative impact to residents homes in the community, and we want to also make sure as part of this, that we are working to address resiliency in communities that are disinvested or have been underserved,” Killen said.
According to data released by the First Street Foundation in 2023, about 172,000 properties in Cook County have a high risk of flooding.
Many of the projects given ARPA funding are focused on flood mitigation and drainage improvements on county roads. Some funding goes toward sewer backup prevention and lake projects.
Funding allocation varied among municipalities based on the specific needs of projects at different stages of development.
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Part of the initiative aims to educate community leaders about available funding sources and guide them in developing comprehensive plans to address persistent flooding issues.
“We are helping lower resource communities be able to identify, not only the need, but what a potential solution would be for their flooding,” Killen said.
Adam James, drainage and utilities manager at the county department, said a key objective is to educate communities on available resources to aid in the construction of flooding management projects.
“The more exposure that communities get to programs like this and pursuing grants and standing up contracts, that allows their staff to get more experience and get better at doing these projects themselves,” James said.
James said ARPA requires the department conduct regular monitoring meetings with recipients to see how projects are progressing and provide support.
To meet federal expenditure deadlines, Killen said projects must be completed by Dec. 31, 2026.