Friday, September 21, 2007
Ken Arnold White Paper on Des Plaines Flooding and Spillway Solution
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“The Des Plaines Spillway Act (DSA)”
BRIEF BACKGROUND AND HISTORY:
The DesPlaines River has had a profound history relative to the development, and enjoyment, of the Chicagoland area. In the first settlements of this area in the early 1800s, this river was extensively used for the transportation of both people and goods. And the abundant beavers that inhabited the river were an attractant to further development of the area.
Over time, the original functions of this river were displaced by the recreational aspects. Today, the river runs thru many forest preserve areas throughout its course and has – among some of its course – excellent and scenic bike trails and walking paths.
| Des Plaines River Factoids
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In today’s modern world, the Des Plaines, as is the case with many other rivers, has various dykes, dams, and other constructions to regulate its flow and help stem flooding. However: In some cases, these efforts have arguably increased the problem of flooding in various areas this river traverses.
Massive urbanization of the Des Plaines watershed area has also sprung up in the 20th century and beyond. Due to this development, the area of permeable ground that water can be held in has materially been reduced as roads, sidewalks, driveways, and buildings have been erected and water has had to be channeled off of these structures and into our drainage systems and waterways.
Because of all of the above factors, the flooding events which occur along the DesPlaines have increased in both their frequency and severity. Already, in the last seven (7) years, there have now been three major flooding events. As reported by The Pioneer Press in a September 6, 2007, article entitled “Mayors Urge Anti-Flood Work”, the Army Corps of Engineers in 2004 estimated that direct economic damage from DesPlaines floods comes to $25.2 million per year – essentially $252 million per decade! And this does not even account for the human suffering or risk to life – especially in these post 9/11 times. Ken Arnold’s hometown of Gurnee, Illinois, lastly, has been one of the hardest hit communities during each of these events.
THE ANALYSIS AND SOLUTION:
Current thought among many in government is to minimize potential destruction and related costs via zoning. This approach precludes building development in floodplains as well as certain government buyouts of property owners already having such structures in these type areas. However: In an already well developed and urbanized area such as the DesPlaines river basin, such approach – while wise to minimize additional future damage – cannot address the level of damage from existing development. Government could not possibly have the funds to buy out all floodplain properties -- even if it wished to.
Obviously, part of the solution to such flooding problems in a metropolitan area is to encourage the use of permeable substances for any surfaces in the urban area. Use of gravel, sand, brick, and grassy areas - where cement or asphalt would have otherwise been laid - is surely to be encouraged. [NOTE: The writer himself, in 2005, converted his own driveway and sidewalks to brick in part for just such consideration.] However: Given the already well developed nature of the DesPlaines River basin, it will take many years for such changeover to take place. And, even then, it will likely not fully resolve flood issues during the heaviest of rainfall. The increasing development of the area as well as the uncertainties of global warming makes flooding an even more assured and continuing problem.
While pursuing some of the above means to reduce the amount of water flowing into the Des Plaines River, there IS a time-honored means of reducing the devastation and flooding that result once water is within a river. This time-honored means is to partially divert the flow of the river during such times.
Ken Arnold, when conceiving of this idea after the flood events of this past month along the Des Plaines, went about the task of doing preliminary analysis and detailed surveying of the task as he conceived it. Determining what were the points of the Des Plaines River that lie closest to Lake Michigan, as well as where there appeared to be the least development, he has come up with two tentative right-of-way options for such spillway. (See map below).
Ken Arnold determined that, clearly, the most advantageous option of the two was the “Southern Route”. Why? Because not only is it the shortest distance…but he discovered when personally surveying the right of way and topography that throughout its entire length lies the Exelon/Commonwealth Edison high tension wire right-of-way! An additional bonus to using this “Southern Route” option is that it leaves unchanged various Park District lands that would be partially used in the “Northern Route” option. For all of these reasons, Ken Arnold strongly recommends the “Southern Route” option he has plotted out – and it is this option he focused on in most detail.
As providence would have it, Mr. Arnold discovered on his personally surveying the right of way that there would be no need to buy out residential or commercial developments when constructing the spillway along the proposed, “Southern Route”. The right-of-way for the spillway would be had at either no cost or very modest cost from the public utility who caused such area to ALREADY be free of any buildings and development! The right-of-way already existing for high tension wires for the Waukegan, IL electrical power plant is a near perfect strait line between the shortest distances between the Des Plaines River and Lake Michigan of anywhere along this river’s course!
The Des Plaines Spillway project, of course, will require further engineering and environmental studies on its details. However: After personally surveying the right of way and studying the topography, etc.: Candidate Ken Arnold believes that this project could entail merely placing one pumping station and a series of open canals and conduits using gravity feed throughout the rest of the system. These canals, moreover, would normally be dry and grassy except for such flood emergencies. A holding pond, moreover, could be considered about 60% of the way to Lake Michigan - if desired. Lastly, the spillway would start just east of Route 41 along the DesPlaines River and would head almost due east. It would end just south of the Electrical Power plant in Waukegan in what is now vacant land. A travel log of the “Southern Route” right of way follows:
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| PHOTO 1: The origin of the Des Plaines River Spillway. Photo is along U.S. Highway 41 and the farthest west point looking east…several hundred yards from the River. Area is approximately 688 ft. above sea level which is approximately 108 ft. above the final terminus of the Spillway and Lake Michigan. Note the high tension line right of way. |
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| PHOTO 2: The west end of “Southern Route” right of way looking westward. Des Plaines River lies approximately halfway between point of photograph and water tower in the distance. Note the undeveloped and usable land that can be used for conduits, pipelines and canals as required. Topography gradually goes from 688 ft. up to 720 ft above sea level around Johns Manville Ave. area. This is the highest point along route and requires elevating water approx. 32 feet in height via conduit and pumping. |
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| PHOTO 3: Looking eastward toward Lake Michigan from the same location as photo 2, above. Highest point along Spillway route is in the distance. |
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| PHOTO 4: Photo is looking westward at a point closer to Lake Michigan along the Spillway’s right of way. Photo location is within the Waukegan city limits on the north side of that city approximately 1 ½ miles from its downtown. Within this section topography slightly rises again from 710 to 720 feet above sea level. Can either place secondary pumping station there or, the likely better alternative, place conduits 15 feet or more below ground at this point so as to continue the gravity feed of the water. |
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| PHOTO 5: Taken at the same location in Waukegan as photo 4 but looking eastward close to Lake Michigan. Note the smokestack in the distance. This is the electrical generating station which lies along Lake Michigan and 580 feet above sea level. Spillway would slightly curve close to the power plant and travel along its south side into Lake Michigan. |
Environmental Considerations:
On environmental issues, the water of the Des Plaines is essentially no different than many other rivers which flow into Lake Michigan today. And, relative to the huge volume of fresh water held by Lake Michigan, any waters from this project would only add a minute amount of water to that body’s water level – so small as to not even be recordable. This added water, moreover, would be on a temporary emergency basis only.
One additional note on the environment is worth being made: The flooding events themselves must surely be major environmental disasters in and of themselves. Fuel oil, gas, and kerosene storage tanks in homes and elsewhere start leaking into flood waters as well as all sorts of contaminants (including sewage) get washed into the flood. Even debris from buildings contribute to the fouling our water. These items, moreover, say nothing of the consequent landfill caused by the multitude of water damaged goods and ruined homes that will be prevented. Arguably, constructing the Des Plaines Spillway in our large, urban area would be an environmental boon in preventing such pollution in the future.
ADVANTAGES TO THE PROJECT
1) The Des Plaines Spillway Act would directly, substantially, and immediately mitigate any future flooding potentials by the diverting of a majority of the Des Plaines river in such times from further heading southward in its normal course to emptying into Lake Michigan.
2) In a smart and low cost fashion, the project uses already existing right of way which, as luck and analysis may have it, ALSO is the shortest distance between the Des Plaines River and Lake Michigan of anywhere in Illinois. It is inherently the least disruptive, lowest cost alternative given its short distance, already adequate right of way requiring no building structures to be purchased and torn down, and favorable topography requiring only one pumping station and gravity feed throughout most of the 5.3 mile Spillway. And such project surely would cost but a fraction of the cost of damage from the perennial floods the area continues to suffer from.
3) Because the water is diverted just north of where the Des Plaines River crosses U.S. Route 41 (a major federal highway), it literally guarantees that this transportation highway will always be open for use (normal and evacuation) and not totally submerged just south of that (as has been the case 2-3 times before) regardless of the severity of any rainfall.
4) By having the ability to literally drain up to 75% of the water of the river at the proposed start point of the spillway; it is much less likely that heavy rainfall will ever be a problem at points south of this spillway within the Chicago metropolitan area. Such rainfall would in most cases likely only bring the river back up to water levels which are BELOW flood stage at points south due to the material water diversion further upstream. Additionally: Waters upstream from the Spillway would move more swiftly and allow drainage more quickly…somewhat relieving flooding tendencies even further upstream on the Des Plaines.
5) Having the diversion so far up North along the Des Plaines River ensures that the cleanest possible water is temporarily diverted into Lake Michigan. Such water has not traversed thru industrial and major urban areas yet nor picked up the consequent runoffs and pollution related to such settings. It is, basically, normal water runoff which already flows into Lake Michigan. All the project does is temporarily fix what nature previously designated should flow into the Mississippi River to then flow into Lake Michigan.
6) This initiative efficiently solves several subject matter problems our area citizens have, and/or potentially could, suffer from. It solves a transportation as well as homeland defense problem with U.S. 41 flooding and being cutoff, greatly aids in reducing the costs of area flood damage and the human suffering within the area; and, lastly, greatly reduces the prospect of both water and land pollution caused by such flood events.
CONCLUSION
It was man’s decision to so intensely populate the metropolis we call the Chicagoland area. Yet nature placed through this long path of urban development a river running throughout its length that would do what rivers do – periodically flood. Chicago is cursed with being the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. that has a flood prone river that traverses throughout its length and urbanized area. It is time for our Nation, and State, to remedy this flood problem of increasing frequency and severity.
Time currently is of the essence for such project which is neither a Republican or Democrat issue – but a human one. Given the increasing frequency/severity of such flood occurrences, the continuing threat of terrorist incidences requiring a potential metropolitan evacuation, and the progressive development of the area placing even more structures in harms way from potential flooding; we cannot start too soon on such spillway.
Ken Arnold demands that Federal and State government immediately commit to promptly starting the process of funding and construction of this spillway. He is highly confident, moreover, that with the multiple of Congressmen and Federal agencies naturally interested in this spillway project, it should gain quick and material support in the Congress. If citizens wish to greatly decrease the frequency as well as severity of their disruptions and economic loss from such floods, and additionally decrease the risk of being unable to evacuate the area if struck by a terrorist event, they are strongly advised to similarly demand action - - NOW.
The Chicagoland area should not continue to wait any longer for government to act!
Ken Arnold – Republican Candidate
U.S. Congress – 8th District of Illinois
Labels: 8th Congressional District, Des Plaines River, Des Plaines Spillway, Ken Arnold
