Does La Grange Park have any flooding issues due to Salt Creek? (Des Plaines: real estate)

[Lookout Kid]

I've been trying to find information about Salt Creek flooding, and am specifically wondering if La Grange Park ever has flooding issues due to proximity to the creek. During the 2008 floods there were articles about flooding further east in Brookfield, but I didn't see anything in print about flooding in La Grange Park. Do any areas of this village have flooding issues from the creek? I see that La Grange Park recently replaced their combined sewer system with one that separates storm runoff from sanitary sewers, so that makes me think they at least had some issues with flooding from runoff.

[chet everett]

The layout of the Forest Preserves as Salt Creek runs through LGP is quite a bit different than the section where Salt Creek flows into the DesPlaines River -- the elevation drops pretty dramatically in just a few block east of Ogden. Geologically this was the the shoreline /beach of the glacier-era Lake Michigan!

Because of this and the way that LGP has improved the "channel and streambed" the risk of flooding is pretty minimal. The elimination of cross-connects between the sanity and storm sewers is mostly to prevent the reverse-flow sewer flooding that some folks get in bathroom basements that are not built to standards...

[cmax312]

My mother has been in our family home in LGP since 1956. The house is next two the forest preserve probably the equivilant of 2 or 3 blocks from the creek. There has never been any significant flooding at her house. She does have a sump pump that keeps the basement dry in times of heavy rain. I remember in the 70s the sewers would sometimes get backed up in a heavy storm but it would drain within a few hours.

As the previous poste mentioned the Des Plaines river has been much more of a problem in the Brookfield/Riverside area.

[Lookout Kid]

Thanks for the answers. My wife and I are looking at the area of La Grange Park just north of Downtown La Grange as a potential place to live, and that sort of terminates to the north right at the creek. We weren't sure if staying away from the creek was something we should be concerned about. As a guy with a civil engineering degree, rivers and creeks often concern me.

[cmax312]

That's a nice area of town. A lot of my jr. high and high school friends lived in that area. I don't ever remember any flooding issues there. I would think your real estate agent could confirm.

[Lookout Kid]

It's funny that I was just asking about this last week. I see that Riverside is indeed having flooding where Salt Creek meets the Des Plaines River. Is it me, or has there been a lot more flooding in recent years?

[chet everett]

I think the TV crews like to get out their portable HD cameras more.

Between The Weather Channel, CNN, Fox and the other places that LOVE LOVE LOVE to have the flood waters lapping at the door of some hapless soul there is just more coverage.

I know that LOTS of houses have been bought up the real flood prone stuff has been torn down...