Calumet City Making Improvements To Alleviate Flooding
Calumet City Mayor Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush will be joined by U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly and officials with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to unveil more than $1 million in infrastructure improvements designed to alleviate neighborhood flooding on the city’s north side.
The ribbon-cutting event takes place at 11am today at the Yates Pond pumping station, 14242 Yates Ave. in Calumet City.
The work is the culmination of years of environmental studies and city applications for grants to address concerns raised by residents regarding stormwater flooding that has hampered neighborhoods just south of the banks of the Little Calumet River. Efforts began with a series of soil studies examined by the University of Illinois and the Illinois State Geological Survey to better understand how to best address the flooding issues.
“This new high-tech pump system is a crucial component in the city’s continuing commitment to eliminate standing water and flooding during storms,” Mayor Michelle said. “We continue to work with the Army Corps to exchange ideas and follow best practices to maintain a successful drainage system in Calumet City for years to come.”
City public works staff spent weeks removing more than two feet of sediment from the bottom of Yates Pond before infrastructure improvements began. But even before that, city engineers partnered with geologists and others to study the most effective gray improvements (infrastructure) and green improvements (landscape and other natural protections) to insulate the neighborhood from flooding that has ruined basements and living rooms for decades. Those studies won national honors and the improvements being unveiled Monday are the first of more to come, after the city reached partnerships with the Army Corps, University of Illinois, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, Metropolitan Planning Council and others. Landscape improvements will mark a second phase to the overall stormwater improvements.
“We are working hard to ensure every area of Calumet City maintains the highest level of readiness to deal with storm events today and in the future,” Mayor Michelle added.
