McHenry County Blog

It's not at the flood stage it was in May, but the Algonquin dam is open and there is not much of a drop over the spillway, as you can see in the picture I took yesterday about 11.

Considering the almost 6 inches of rain that fell at McHenry, according to Channel 7 weather, one might think the water level would be higher.

It was high enough for the Fox Waterway Agency to issue a “No Wake” order for the lower Fox River yesterday morning at 8.

I did see at least four egrets on the shore at Algonquin's Cornish Park.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Labels: Algonquin, Cornish Park, Egret, Flooding, Fox River

That's as one would expect, I guess, but I thought you might like to see what I saw this morning. Above you can see it is wide open.

The flood level seems to be about at the same level as it was Tuesday night when I took this twilight photo with, obviously, no tripod.

Compare the photo above with this one from today. Click to enlarge the dusk (or any) shot.

Here is a closer look of the water coming over the dam looked like.

The water level seems to be about the same-- maybe a tad lower-- than it was Tuesday night.

I make that judgment by comparing the amount of the river that was coming out of the storm sewer next to the park by the fake farm implement store four days ago with what is there now. When the park isn't flooded this is the building where the bathrooms are located.

The prairie flowers in the riverside were lovely, almost stunning. But you know my color blind eyes see yellow and blue probably as well as you see all colors. (Those flowers are blue, aren't they? I find others tell me some flowers, like Queen of the Prairie, which I was positive was blue for decades, is really pink. So, if that is pink behind the yellow, I'll cope with correction.)

Just in case you want to be able to show kids how high the water was, here's a picture taken across the closed riverfront park.

Labels: Algonquin Dam, Flooding, Fox River

A letter from State Rep. Mike Tryon:

Fox/Chain of Lakes Flooding Update

WATER LEVELS CONTINUE TO SLOWLY RISE ALONG THE UPPER FOX RIVER IN ILLINOIS.

THE RIVER WAS NEARING CREST TODAY IN THE UPPER REACHES OF THE FOX RIVER ABOVE ALGONQUIN.

A CREST IS EXPECTED NEAR ALGONQUIN BY EARLY WEDNESDAY.

While the threat of additional flooding along the Fox River and the Fox Chain O’ Lakes is not completely behind us, we did receive some cautiously optimistic news Tuesday morning from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. According to IEMA, water levels along the Fox appear to have stabilized; at least for now. The Chain will continue to be closed to all watercraft until further notice.

Local and State emergency response agencies are working together to continue to monitor water levels and to take steps to help those impacted should the water continue to rise. For more information visit http://www.state.il.us/iema/ or call my District Office at 815-459-6453.

Local and State emergency response agencies are working together to monitor water levels and to take steps to help those impacted by the rising waters. They estimate the Fox River levels to rise 2 to 3 more inches over the next few days, and the level on the Chain of Lakes to crest by the end of this week. My office is receiving twice daily updates and I will continue to pass along important information as it becomes available.

Many of you have asked how you can help communities in our state that have been devastated by recent flooding. IEMA suggest that contributions be made to the Red Cross Disaster Relief fund. Here is the link to the Red Cross Donation webpage: www.redcrossillinois.org/donate-online.

Other flood related links:

Please go to http://www.ready.illinois.gov/ to learn of flooding developments in Kane County and elsewhere in the state.

This is a link to FEMA's guidelines on what to do during a flood: http://www.fema.gov/hazard/flood/fl_during.shtm.

Labels: Chain of Lakes, Flooding, Fox River, Mike Tryon

Lots of it.

Here's what the Algonquin Dam looked like about 9 PM.

That ripple in the river is where the dam is located.

Click to enlarge.

Labels: Algonquin, Algonquin Dam, Flooding, Fox River

It's not as if McHenry County hasn't gotten more than its fair share of rain this year, but southeastern Illinois has real flooding in the same area that was hit by the earthquake.

The rain in Decatur last weekend was so bad that the roof of the convention center room had pans to catch the leaks.

And, on Route 51 to Decatur low lying corn fields were flooded.

Fences usually indicate that there are fields.

In this one beside Route 14, though, you'd never know. It was next to a stream which had obviously overflowed.

Labels: Corn, Corn Field, Decatur, Flooding, Route 51

My son and I were in Algonquin Saturday and decided to take a look at the Fox River.

The ten-year old really did not want to go.

He was so certain that it would be a bore.

But, after seeing the roiling water, he changed his mind.

He wondered what the smooth places were.

Neighbor Rebbecca Giltner explained that there were strong currents under the water, while warning to stay away from the edge of the river's bank, that the water was very cold.

My son even decided he wanted the job of “picture spotter” after I praised his pointing out a goose that we think was sitting on her nest next to a tree surrounded by the rising water.

“Five cents an hour, Dad,” he bargained.

“Good price,” I said agreeably.

Near “Goose Island,” was a tire in the front yard of the house next to the new park. Geese were swimming under it.

Although I didn't get a photo of it, my son noticed two mallard ducks landing sideways on the Fox. They were immediately and, we believe, unexpectedly swept downstream.

Looking at the trees in the water across the river, it seemed that the high water mark was about two feet above the levels at about 1 PM Saturday afternoon.

Another photographer, Laura Stoecker, was at at the corner where we stopped farther south.

I introduced myself and asked where we would see her photos.

She said in the Daily Herald.

She was really looking for sand bags and the ones across the river were the only ones visible.

I suggested going farther up river.

Our neighborhood guide pointed out how deep the water had been last summer during the third week of August. She said the bench in the picture above had been completely covered. You can see a closer picture of the garage, bench and ducks, here.

Three to four feet higher than the river's level when we were there.

So, how high was it?

Look at the sandbags sitting on top of a step to the left of the house across the river. There are five steps under water that usually lead to the river's edge.

When we looked at the dam, it was hard to tell that it was there.

Right on the south side of the Route 62 bridge, the dam seemed to be only about a foot or so above the water level downstream.

I've never seen the dam the Corps of Engineers built in drier weather, so I'll have to take my son back so we can make the comparison.


Maybe we'll do that on Mother's Day, when the Giangrasso family eats brunch at Port Edward. The view probably won't be like this when we look toward the restaurant.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Labels: Algonquin, Flooding, Fox River, Geese, Giangrasso, Laura Stoecker, Port Edward, Rebbecca Giltner, Route 62, Sandbag

The water in and around Crystal Lake is not as high as it was in the third week of August last year, but it is getting pretty high.

The one pier I could find, Dick Vogelman's at Lakewood's Gate 7, was not quite under water.

“Water on the Pavement” signs are up on North Shore Drive.

This one is also in front of the last house before entering Lakewood from the west on North Avenue, right in front of the Lakewood Village Hall.

The water on North Shore Drive, covers only the edges in a couple of places, not the whole road like last year.

There is now a permanent road from the North Shore to Woodland Drive.

It is blocked by a gate, but, if the need arises, traffic can flow like it did last year.

Last year, it looked like this.

And permanent pipes have been put under the road and a pretty wide ditch dug. In the picture above, North Shore Drive is in the background.

From the mud I picked up on my shoes while walking along side to the lake, I'd say it was only recently completed.

It certainly is more substantial, especially wider, than the ditch dug rapidly last year by Crystal Lake Public Works Department employees, quickly supplemented by hoses with pumps, but the drop from North Shore Drive still is very slight.

Run-off will not be gushing into Crystal Lake.

You can be sure of that.

There seems to be more of an effort this year filter out particulates.

You can see how the hose emptied right into Crystal Lake last year.

I did not see any flooding on Broadway last night.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Compare the last one, which shows how flood water entered Crystal Lake last August, with the two above. The one right above the spewing hose shows the ditch right before the water enters the lake. Above it is a picture looking down at the filtering barrier at the lake's edge. The lake is on the right.

Labels: Crystal Lake, Crystal Lake Public Works Department, Flooding, North Shore Drive, Woodland Drive

Nunda Township County Board member Mary Donner convinced NASA Education's John Blanchard, whose organization is on Route 31 just up the hill from Terra Cotta, to send some veterans to help sand bag Orchard Heights.

NASA Education employees and those of two other Blanchard companies headed to the Orchard Heights subdivision to join Mary Donner and Nunda Township workers.

Under the leadership of Township Road Commissioner Don Kopsell, they filled sand bags so that local residents could do what they could to save their homes from the rising Fox River.

The township had just purchased “The Sandbagger” on Monday, April 1st, for about $18,000

The Sandbagger is a machine that is loaded with sand and then through 4 pour spouts Blanchard’s team is able to produce bags filled with sand, which are then tied off and stacked for the local home owners to use

It was taken to Riverside Drive in McHenry.

Bayview Beach was also at risk.

Wednesday afternoon the river was rising at approximately 2 inches an hour.

“This isn’t something that can be finished in an hour or two, but will be ongoing for quite a while until the water starts to subside,” Blanchard said.

Kane County supplied approximately 120,000-130,000 bags. McHenry County only had about 20,000-30,000 bags on hand, requiring Nunda Township to go out and purchase additional bags from an outside source.

NASA Education is a Crystal Lake-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides comprehensive workforce and community reintegration services for U.S. veterans who are displaced, disabled, homeless or otherwise in transition.

For more information, contact Amy Johnson at 866-338-4968.

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Pictures from NASA Education. They are of the effort of prepare sandbags to protect Orchard Heights homes in McHenry, Illinois. The two people whose faces can be seen in almost the lowest photo are NASA Education President John Blanchard and McHenry County Board member Mary Donner.

Labels: Amy Johnson, Don Kopsell, Flooding, Fox River, John Blanchard, Mary Donner, McHenry, McHenry County Board, NASA Education, Nunda Township, Orchard Heights, Sandbag, Sandbagger

And it’s because of the flooding, not because of the bad roads.

The press release yesterday gives no indication that Governor Rod Blagojevich stepped into or even flew over McHenry County.

He did venture into the Des Plaines River area in eastern Lake County.

Labels: Disaster Area, Flooding, McHenry County, Rod Blagojevich

While this relates to Des Plaines River flooding rather than problems in the Fox River valley, I thought you might be interested in 8th congressional district Republican candidate's approach to the issue. What follows is Ken Arnold's press release:

Arnold Demands Fix to Des Plaines River Flooding – Provides Detailed Plan to Do It

Gurnee, Illinois: Republican Congressional Candidate Ken Arnold held an outdoor press conference today on the issue of Des Plaines River flooding. The press conference was at a ComEd right of way with electrical high tension wires as the backdrop along the nearby Des Plaines River.

At this press conference, Ken Arnold detailed a plan of his own development and design that is designed to materially prevent future flood damage along the entire DesPlaines River basin. The unveiled plan was complete with maps, right of way photos, topography elevations -- and read as much like an engineering study as a political demand for action.

Mr. Arnold stated:

“In the last seven years we have had three major flood episodes directly costing tens of millions of dollars each time – a quarter Billion dollars in a decade! Besides this direct cost, is the cost of putting lives at risk. After so many floods, and so many years, this citizen demands action from our elected officials who have done nothing!”

He went on to add: “Since they have failed to creatively solve this problem, I’ve even give them the lowest cost roadmap to do so!”

Mr. Arnold’s plan, called the Des Plaines Spillway Act (DSA), specifies a 5.3 mile long spillway be constructed from just north of Gurnee to just north of Waukegan where waters would empty into Lake Michigan. The spillway, which miraculously fully follows an existing ComEd high tension wire right of way already cleared of structures, would be employed on an emergency basis to divert up to 75 percent of flood waters from the Des Plaines to Lake Michigan.

The spillway proposal specifies that in addition to alleviating the suffering and costs caused by the flooding of residences and businesses, the proposal would ensure, for homeland security purposes, that one of only three federal highways in Chicago leading up to Wisconsin evacuation sites would not be rendered impassable.

In two of the three most recent flood events, U.S. 41 was totally cut off due to flood waters under a low lying, railroad viaduct close to the Des Plaines River and not far from the outdoor press conference that was held.

Mr. Arnold states:

“If we had a terrorist event in Chicago making necessary an evacuation, I don’t want the politicians to say 'If we had only known…' as mass casualties occur from evacuating citizens stuck in stalled traffic along U.S. 41. This must never happen – and they have no excuse with my initiative now given them!”

Ken Arnold is running in the upcoming Republican Primary of February, 2008, and hopes to replace incumbent Democrat, Melissa Bean, as the U.S. Representative from the 8th Congressional District. The 8th District is composed of half of Lake and McHenry Counties along with far northwestern Cook County.

The Ken Arnold for Congress Campaign can be reached at 847-207-1167. Citizens may also visit his website, where other detailed and original ideas on major problems will continue to be posted, by logging onto www.ArnoldforCongress.com.

Arnold's white paper on the subject can be found here. the map may be enlarged by clicking on it.

Labels: 8th Congressional District, Des Plaines River, Flooding, Ken Arnold

Know when the best time to buy a boat is?

It’s now.

Or pretty soon.

The water is too high for boating on the Fox River and Chain of Lakes.

The season is almost over.

If you can’t use your boat and were thinking of selling it at the end of the season, you might be thinking that you might as well do it now.

The high water means you can’t use your boat the way you want to anyway.

And the price of gasoline has gone way up since a lot of people bought their boats.

So, if you want to buy a boat, as soon as you can, start driving along river and lake front roads and look for “FOR SALE” signs.

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Thanks for a friend of McHenry County Blog for the photographs of the Chain of Lakea and Fox River flooding. The marina is Blarney Island's parking lot in the Chain.

Labels: Blarney Island, Chain of Lakes, Flooding, Fox River

The sign on the left was posted on the south side of Lake Avenue above the culvert through which water from Crystal Lake is surging on August 20th.

A friend who just retired also took a picture of it and seems to have convinced some governmental entity to replace it with a brand new one.

Probably a good thing, even though there is less water flowing now that previously this week.

The sign says,

Labels: Cress Creek, Crystal Lake, Flooding

A Harvard reader of McHenry County Blog shares this information with us:

This morning there was a great deal of flooding in Harvard.

In the last several years there have been a lot of houses constructed to the north of Northfield Avenue.

When we moved to Harvard in 1988 we were told that the land north of Northfield would never be developed because it was on a flood plain.

This morning a lot (if not all) of the houses experienced flooding. The streets were flooded, and the lift station put in to prevent flooding had water shooting up out of it like a geyser.

Fairly soon it looked like a convoy of police, city and county vehicles driving down Northfield Avenue to see what happens when a city allows building on a flood plain.

Harvard annexed this land and the developing began.

To my knowledge the property owners were never told that the land was in a flood plain.

Recently there are really large homes being built off the north end of 4th street (to the north of Northfield Ave).

This spring heavy equipment was brought in and tremendously deep (maybe 80-90 feet) holes were dug for the purpose of preventing flooding. I was concerned because they dug through the layers of blue clay into the gravel below. This area drains into the little creek that runs through Chemung. I believe the spring in this land connect to the headwaters of the Kishwaukee River.

Both are considered extremely clean waterways. I believe that by digging these very deep holes the oil, and dirt from the lawn tractors, cars etc., may contaminate these waters.

I am upset that the city has allowed building in a flood plain and I am upset because to the best of my knowledge none of the owners were told that they were building on a flood plain when they purchased their homes.

We have the 50-year flood plain maps. I have heard that current maps of flood plains do not list this property as being a flood plain. That strikes me as odd.

Before building the huge homes off the end of 4th street the heavy equipment scooped out a great deal of soil and replaced it with 10 or more feet of gravel. Then they covered this with some soil (maybe 1 foot or so). This will help drainage but what happens in the years to come as the trees grow. If we get really wet years and have a storm with heavy winds won't the trees tip out of the ground and possibly crush houses and/or people.

One other thing on a much lighter note.

The first two large houses have two car garages. In front of the garage doors there are bushes planted. In front of the bushes nice lawns have been planted. In front of the nice lawns is a black wrought iron fence. Between the fence and the street is the sidewalk and more lawn. My point being is that the driveways are missing and the bushes, lawn and fences are where the driveways should be. I've checked in the back of the houses and there is not an access to drive around the back and pull in that way.

So, who was mayor when the subdivision was approved?

Labels: Flood Plain, Flooding, Havard