Winnetka officials learn more about flooding issues on east side and what they can do about it
In its ongoing efforts to reduce flooding throughout the Village and improve stormwater management, Winnetka officials are now looking toward the eastern portion of town to address some of its most frequently impacted areas.
The Winnetka Village Council received an update on Jan. 14 on a stormwater management study, which is currently being conducted by Strand Associates Inc., an engineering and design firm based out of Milwaukee.
During the study session, trustees took no action and heard an update from Mike Waldron, a senior associate with Strand, who shared with trustees the latest results of the study that focuses on four specific areas of eastern Winnetka.
Waldron, who previously updated the trustees in September 2024, said on Jan. 14 that the study looked at potential scenarios with two-, 10- and 100-year rainfall events.
The areas of focus are identified as Elder Lane, Elm Street/Willow Road, Spruce Street and Hubbard Woods. Waldron went through each area and described the challenges of each one in addition to solutions that the Village Council could consider.
Much of his presentation focused on the Elder Lane segment, where he identified the Winnetka Avenue viaduct, Sunset Road pedestrian underpass and Fuller Lane as the areas that have seen the most challenges with flooding.
He specifically called Winnetka Avenue viaduct the “most challenging” due to the low street level.
Waldron said a potential solution is creating a water level monitoring system, which would trigger a flashing light when water levels get too high to warn drivers. He also suggested painting the walls of the underpass to give those using the street a visual of how high the water is.
Another recommendation is working with New Trier High School to build new underground stormwater storage just to the north of Trevian Way, a small street on school property used for parking and dropoff.
“The storage (would be) right next to where the high school already has underground storage,” Waldron said.
Storm sewer improvements were also one of his recommendations, which included rerouting the flow of stormwater away from Sheridan Road.
He also talked about potentially rerouting the water from Elder Lane Beach to Willow Road.
Waldron briefly discussed the outfall pipe at Elder Beach, which has been a point of contention between the Village and Winnetka Park District. The park district has indicated they want to relocate the pipe, while the Village reportedly wants to leave it as-is.
According to Waldron, the study was conducted with the assumption that the pipe will remain in place, and he said if that happens, the improvements should still protect against flooding.
“The Village would probably go in and maybe line that sewer, but it doesn’t have to be touched (and) we can still achieve this level of protection,” he said. “If the park district decided to reroute that … that works also. It provides a little extra capacity, which is nice, but again, the point being this program works if nothing is done to that existing outfall. It still works.”
Another challenging area, Waldron said, is Hubbard Woods. Solutions are limited there because of the curve of the roadway at Sheridan Road, known locally as “the ravines.”
Waldron called it a “super elevated curve” and said the inside lane is lower than the outside in order to prevent accidents. But he said a consequence of that design is flooding.
He recommended infrastructure improvements, such as a larger pipe, underneath the roadway, but added that he and Strand are still studying the area.
For the Elm/Willow area, Waldron’s suggestion to reduce flooding on Cherry Street is to utilize a 66-foot Village-owned right-of-way on Elm Street to reroute a portion of the watershed. That, he said, would send the flow down to an outfall pipe located on Willow Road.
Spruce Street has “very minor flooding,” according to Waldron, and he recommended redirecting the flow of stormwater down to Elm Street and away from Spruce.
Next steps
Waldron said the public engagement portion of the suggested east side stormwater improvements will be next. He said open houses will likely be held in February and April to get feedback from the community.
Strand plans on reaching out to New Trier High School as well to begin discussions on potentially building storage at the school, in addition to starting talks with the regulatory agencies, which include the Army Corps of Engineers, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
Waldron said Strand will return to the Village Board in May for a final presentation, with the final report expected by June.
He added that the east side project is expected to be about half the scope of the west side stormwater improvements and could see up to a 50 percent reduction in pollutants in the water.
Village President Chris Rintz said it’s too early to know what an official timeline would look like and will depend on costs and public feedback.
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Peter Kaspari
Peter Kaspari is a blogger and a freelance reporter. A 10-year veteran of journalism, he has written for newspapers in both Iowa and Illinois, including spending multiple years covering crime and courts. Most recently, he served as the editor for The Lake Forest Leader. Peter is also a longtime resident of Wilmette and New Trier High School alumnus.