RESCUING
A COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION Storm Water Management Project (SWMP) The Oaks of St. Charles
By John Thornhill BACKGROUND:
The Oaks of St. Charles, an established community of 75 townhomes is the oldest development of its kind in the City of St. Charles, Illinois. Most of the buildings were completed on a gently sloping hillside in the mid ‘70s with the Tudor-style architecture that has become a landmark for the city’s southern entrance, along the west side of the Fox River and Route 31.
The development followed the approved city standards of the day with respect to public utilities. At that time, there was no storm water management ordinance nor were there any requirements for detention as there are today. Such requirements were made uniform throughout Kane County in 1999. Storm water was managed in The Oaks by a system of drainage swales and small pipes installed to collect downspout and sump pump discharge water. This water eventually found its way to the private street, White Oak Circle, or a small creek along the northern boundary from where it flowed into the city storm sewer system and, ultimately, into the Fox River.
PROBLEM:
As years passed, the siltation from decorative, but eroding berms installed by the developer dramatically and imperceptibly compromised the effectiveness of the original drainage swales. Consequently, more and more residents in the Oaks observed drainage problems they never experienced before. Instances of storm water in basements and garages were common. Simply stated, the storm water was not being managed as efficiently as it should be.
In 2008, attempts were made to provide quick remedies to some of the isolated problems that became emergencies. But in August of 2009 the Oaks Board took up the challenge to address the drainage problems through a more comprehensive planning process. A team of professionals was selected to seek long-term solutions. The team consisted of civil engineers, environmental consultants and landscape architects. Their collaboration resulted in approved engineering and landscaping plans where utilization of best management practices were pursued.
After surveying the residents and identifying the extent of remediation required, it became evident there would be major devastation to the area during construction. But the restoration from such upheaval would also provide many options to transform the obsolescence of The Oaks into
42 | COMMON INTEREST® A Publication of CAI-Illinois Chapter
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