The Fox River in Elgin and elsewhere has been closed to recreational boating by the state as water levels surge past flood level.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources officials issued the ban, which is in place at the same time a National Weather Service flood warning remains for the stretch of the Fox from Johnsburg downstream to Red Gate Road in St. Charles, including the Algonquin Lock & Dam tailwater gauge.
Weather service data indicated the maximum river stage was 10.4 inches as of late Thursday, with the waterway expected to rise to 11.3 feet in some areas, including Algonquin. Flood stage is considered 9.5 feet.
A flood warning means water levels are near or have exceeded flood stage and can pose dangerous conditions, according to the NWS. The agency urges that people along rivers and streams take immediate precautions to protect life and property.
The Fox is expected to crest Tuesday before the water starts to recede, officials said.
The river levels have been increasing with the storms that have moved the the area daily for the last several days. More than 2.43 inches of rain fell Tuesday at Chicago-O’Hare International Airport, setting a daily rainfall record, the NWS reported.
Because of the hazardous conditions, the IDNR put a boating restriction into place. Such a ban also takes into account how treacherous a waterway might be for emergency personnel if they need to rescue someone in a boating accident, the agency’s policy says.
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Walton Island in Elgin was closed due to to flooding but no other parts of the city were affected, Elgin spokeswoman Josie Beecher-Crotty said.
“We are continuing to monitor conditions and are ready to act if anything changes,” she said.
Elgin Fire Department, which took advantage of the situation to do training at the Kimball Street dam and off Walton Island Thursday, is prepared to manage flood areas and assist with evacuations they be needed, Beecher-Crotty said.
Residents are reminded they should not drive or walk through standing water and to call 911 if they need help, she said.
The high water led to the cancellation of the South Elgin Earth Day Clean Up event, which was to be held Saturday, and the closure of Chipstone, Panton Mill and Pickerel Point parks, village spokesman Craig Pierce said. Officials are monitoring SEBA and Lions parks, he said.
A Fox River Trail Bike Path detour is also in place in the village. Riders from the north should use 400 Center St. and riders from the south should use the bridge and avoid the area behind the South Elgin Municipal Annex, Pierce said.
Updates on the situation as well as information about flood safety are available on the village’s website, he said.
“It’s been many years since residents have actually needed to be concerned about taking the necessary precautions (due to flooding),” he said. “At this point, the only residents potentially affected are those living along the Fox River.”
Complimentary sand, sandbags and shovels are available for residents to fill and use as necessary, Pierce said. Sand can be picked up at the South Elgin Public Services Building, 1000 Bowes Road.
In the Richardson subdivision in unincorporated East Dundee, isolated flooding could be seen, and Cornish Park in Algonquin was closed. Portions of the riverwalk in West Dundee also were closed due to flooding.
In East Dundee, the village was offering sandbags at its Public Works Department garage, 446 Elgin Ave.
For more information and resources, go to www.weather.gov/safety/flood.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.