Residents cope with floodwaters

From the Wednesday, June, 11, 2008 edition of the Northwest Herald:

Residents cope with floodwaters
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com

Richard DuBois spent Tuesday building a 30-panel wooden fence around the back perimeter of his McHenry area home.

When the fence was up, he lined it with plastic sheeting. Then he began piling what will become hundreds of sandbags along the fence to protect his home from the rising water south of the Stratton-Bolger Lock and Dam in McHenry.

“I’ll do whatever it takes not to lose my house,” DuBois said.

It’s the fourth time in 12 months that DuBois’ property has flooded.

“Once a year, I could handle it,” DuBois said. “But not four times in 12 months.”

The weekend’s storms might be over, but residents such as DuBois now must deal with the effects.

Rita Lee, a hydraulic engineer with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, predicted that the Chain O’ Lakes will continue rising through Friday.

However, as of Tuesday afternoon, inflows at the Nippersink Creek gauge near Spring Grove were starting to crest, she said.

In the Fox River north of the McHenry dam and in the Chain O’ Lakes, a no-wake restriction remained in effect Tuesday. The boating restrictions are in place until further notice, said Ingrid Ruttendjie, executive director of the Fox Waterway Agency.

“The state is trying to move the water so quickly that it’s hazardous,” Ruttendjie said.

She added that she wasn’t sure how long restrictions would be in place south of the dam, where the river is closed to boating, but that the water levels are dangerous.

As for DuBois’ neighborhood, Ruttendjie said, it’s susceptible to flooding because it’s south of the lakes and in the drainage area.

“The people on the river are the neck of the funnel,” Ruttendjie said. “The Chain O’ Lakes is kind of like the top of the funnel, and all that water has to get through the neck of the funnel.”

For DuBois, any explanation for why his property is flooding for the fourth time in a year is unacceptable.

“They should be able to control it better,” he said.

Others cope with the flood risks by flood-proofing their homes year-round.

Bill Kirchner of Holiday Hills has had between 700 and 800 sandbags lining his home since April, as well as several sump pumps and a generator in his yard.

“I knew there had been flooding,” he said.

Residents near the Fox Lake area are in a wait-and-see mode, preparing for the worst.

“We’re ready to go [in case of floods],” Grant Township Highway Commissioner Kim Kiesgen said. “Mother Nature hasn’t been very good to us lately.”

The McHenry County Department of Health warns homeowners in flooded areas that their private water wells could be contaminated. Free testing is offered. Sample bottles are available at the following township offices: Algonquin, Dorr, McHenry, Nunda, Richmond and Grafton. They also are available at Marengo and Harvard city halls. For information, visit www.mcdh.info.

For up-to-date water levels, visit http://solon.er.usgs.gov and go to data and mapping tools