When Mundelein was hit with severe flooding four years ago that left part of the downtown area submerged, officials said they knew changes were needed to help deal with stormwater.
A major part of that change was unveiled Tuesday, as officials cut the ribbon on $9 million worth of upgrades to the village’s stormwater mitigation system, including a reservoir that can hold more than 13 million gallons of water across 8 acres, and should welcome new types of wildlife.
“It’s meant to attract butterflies,” Mayor Steve Lentz told Pioneer Press. “We’ll see if it works.”
Upgrades also include the addition of more than 2,000 feet in stormwater sewers on Division Street that measure 7 feet tall, as well as curbs and gutters replaced. Fifty-four storm sewer structures were also added to help connect the system, according to village documents.
Officials also stressed how large the reservoir is. For reference, officials noted that to put 13 million gallons of water in a tank the length of a football field, the tank would be 30 feet tall. Another example given was storing the water in front of Village Hall. If put there, the tank would be more than 60 feet tall.
Outlining much of the reservoir is an asphalt trail with a sitting area and more than 6,400 perennial plants. Eventually, Crystal Street, which runs along the reservoir, will be repaved and will extend the asphalt path, Lentz said.
The water that is collected is fed into the Seavey Drainage Ditch that runs through Mundelein and into Vernon Hills, which is then carried into a series of lakes in the area.
“It was just amazing how it all came together. A team of people made it all happen, the negotiations went well,” Lentz said. “We’re all very, very happy with how it turned out.”
In July 2017, the intersection of Division and Lake streets ? which sit near the center of town — saw substantial flooding. During the deluge, first responders resorted to using a raft in order to get elderly residents out of a senior living facility. Others had multiple feet of water in their apartments and houses.
Lentz said despite the damage caused by the storm, he isn’t sure where the village would be had it not happened. He said the silver-lining of it was how much development downtown has progressed as a result.
“This storm really brought urgency,” he said. “When you see the (pictures) of the flood … it was quite sobering (to see) this could happen in Mundelein.”
Shortly after the flood, officials in the village commissioned a study to find out what kind of action needed to be taken to avoid this happening again, Lentz said. The study’s results showed three things were needed: bigger pipes along Lake Street, a place to put the water and to bypass another stormwater system already in the area.
The village decided to create the reservoir at what used to be the U.S. Music factory, formerly at 444 East Courtland Street, Lentz said. Officials approached the owners of the property and came to an agreement for what amounted to a land exchange. The village got the old factory property, and, in return, the owners received the village’s former public work’s site, both of which are adjoined, he said.
“It was natural for us to negotiate with them,” he said. “They would receive our public works site, which was much more developable than (the factory site). And then we would receive a site of land that we desperately needed for the water to go.”
The project cost $9.16 million, in total, according to village documents. The project was paid for with bonds issued by the village, which are being paid off over time through a village stormwater sewer fee and a package liquor tax. The fees will terminate once the bonds are paid off, Lentz said.
Looking forward, Lentz said the village also budgeted for future stormwater projects, which he said oficials are hoping to continue ticking off a to-do list in the coming years.
“This isn’t the only flood issue in town by any means,” he said. “There’s other flood issues in town that we’re gonna get to as the money allows.”