Des Plaines Officials Say Neighboring Towns at Fault for Flood

The widespread flooding that damaged hundreds of homes in Des Plaines last week isn’t being entirely blamed on Mother Nature.

Des Plaines officials like assistant director of public works and engineering Jon Duddles, say Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights are partially at fault, WBBM Newsradio reports. Duddles tells WBBM the cities closed a gap in a levee, making the flooding issue for Des Plaines even worse. In previous talks with the neighboring cities, they agreed to put a barrier wall along River Road, but not close the gap entirely. Closing the gap is in violation of their IDNR permit and the Illinois River, Lakes, and Streams Act (Act), according to the city of Des Plaines. 

"Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights violated their permit and created increased flood and related hazards for our residents by filling a required gap in Levee 37 that increased flooding in the City of Des Plaines," said Acting Mayor Mark Walsten on Friday. "We call on them to clear the gap immediately and restore the levee to full compliance with the law and the IDNR permit."

The River, Lakes, and Streams Act prohibits the construction of any structures in Illinois floodways without a permit from the IDNR. Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights have a permit from the IDNR to construct Levee 37, but the permit does not authorize filling the gap in the levee until a new 120 acre foot water storage reservoir is completed to mitigate the flooding impact of Levee 37 on the City of Des Plaines and other downstream communities. Filling the gap violated their permit and the Act, the city of Des Plaines said in an email.