Park Ridge Mayor on Flooding: I Am Tired Of it Too

Submitted by Park Ridge Mayor Dave Schmidt.

Hello everyone

Obviously we have experienced another epic rainstorm. Believe me, I am tired of it too.  After the water finally receded from my basement this morning, I went downstairs, walked past ruined belongings and looked inside my second new drier in the past couple years only to find clothes floating in there. I will now be buying a third new drier...and some blocks to put it on.

I am receiving many of the same comments and questions that I did two months ago. My responses are the same: We have an antiquated sewer system which has limited capacity to handle torrential downpours.

We recognized this was a problem several years ago and have been working to increase the system's capacity. However, even if every project we dreamed of had already been completed, there is no way our system would have been able to manage holding the amount of water which descended upon us.

I have heard many comments from people denigrating Park Ridge as the City of Floods, as if we are the only community that floods when there is a massive storm. Not true, and frankly it is unfair for people to continue saying so. Check the news reports tonight to see what happened to other communities. Railroad embankments collapsed in Crystal Lake, the Edens was closed, many major roads in the Northwest Suburbs were impassable. 

Ask your friends in Des Plaines or Morton Grove how they are doing today.  I have seen the photos. I know that won't make your basement any drier, but it should help put things in perspective.

We will continue to make every effort to maintain and upgrade our sewer system. But the fact is that when it rains like this, it is going to flood.  And given the fact it appears we are in a cycle of heavy rainstorms, just like last year we were in a cycle of drought, people should plan accordingly. The City will be conducting extra garbage pickup beginning tomorrow.

Those of you with garbage days other than Thursday may still begin putting out your garbage today. I wish you all the best of luck.

-Dave