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Several of the
Villages we represent are adjacent to major waterways within
the region. Wetland areas and identified floodway/floodplain
areas require permitting for development. These waterways
include the Des Plaines River, Flag Creek, the 71st Street
Ditch, the Justice Ditch, the I & M Canal, and the Sanitary
& Ship Canal. Several other mapped floodplain ravines and
drainage areas exist within our area of responsibility. Many
of our projects demand that we work closely with developers
and design engineers to assure that current flood
plain/wetland management procedures are incorporated into
planning and design of proposed developments. Past projects
have included permitting and procedures for floodway
modifications along Flag Creek in Willow Springs,
construction in the floodplain fringe of the Des Plaines
River, development within the floodplain of the 71st Street
Ditch in Justice, and many smaller subdivisions within flood
fringe areas.
Among the larger projects were:
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The Fairway Club,
Phases I and II, Willow Springs
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The Sante Fe
container yard and UPS hub site, Willow Springs
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The Indian Creek
Subdivision, Willow Springs
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The Loniello and
Gooding Subdivisions, Justice
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The Justice Flood
Control Project, Justice
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The Sante Fe area
development, Willow Springs
In the mid 1990?s the Federal Emergency Management Agency
undertook the monumental task of updating all Flood
Insurance Studies and Maps and reformatting them into a
countywide format. The studies and maps had originally been
developed in the late 1970?s and 1980?s and had never been
updated. The Village of Willow Springs had experienced a lot
of growth over those same years, much of which was along the
Flag Creek corridor. The development of all of the
subdivisions along Flag Creek included floodway
modification, on stream detention, compensatory storage and
wetland preservation or mitigation. The permitting process
for these projects was very involved but designs and
proposed improvements successfully removed much of the land
from the floodplain and the subdivisions and homes were
constructed. However, when draft copies of the revised maps
became available, it was noted that all of these
subdivisions were again in the floodway/floodplain. Because
of cut-off dates specified by FEMA, none of the previously
approved Letters of Map Amendment or Revision had been
included in the new mapping. To further complicate matters,
a record reduction in home loan interest rates had ignited
the real estate market. We received several calls a day from
home owners and lenders questioning why homes that had been
permitted and constructed out of the floodplain were now
found within the floodplain and subject to flood insurance.
Our firm spent many months thereafter working with FEMA and
their East Coast consultant successfully revalidating
previously granted LOMR?s and LOMA?s within the Village of
Willow Springs and adjacent Cook County areas. All home
sites were ultimately returned to their flood free status.
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