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Wheeling unveils stormwater master plan update and $8.5 million five-year proposal
Summary
Village officials presented an update to Wheeling's stormwater master plan, reviewed completed flood-mitigation projects since 2015 and proposed five priority projects totaling about $8.5 million for 2027'2031, funded primarily by the stormwater utility fee and grant pursuits.
Village officials presented an update to the stormwater master plan at the July 20 Board of Trustees meeting, outlining past flood-control projects and proposing a five-year capital improvement program that totals roughly $8.5 million.
The plan continues work begun in 2015 and 2016 to reduce neighborhood flooding and prioritize investments, Village public works staff said. "This stormwater master plan... it's an amazing document," one trustee said, praising the long-term planning work staff has produced.
Village engineer Kyle Getzelman summarized recent, completed projects and their costs, saying the village delivered multiple large projects since 2015. Major examples cited included South Wheeling Road improvements (about $1,070,000) to enlarge storm sewer and prevent roadway closures, the South Dunhurst detention basin (15.4 acre-feet; about $5,380,000), the Longtree Basin expansion (increasing capacity from roughly 7.03 to 13.56 acre-feet; about $691,000), and an earlier Jackson Drive lift station project (about $307,000).
Looking ahead, Getzelman outlined five projects the draft five-year CIP prioritizes for 2027 through 2031: the stormwater component of Wheeling Road reconstruction (about $1.5 million); Orchard Lake rear-yard drainage (construction estimated in 2029); a 1st Street/Deborah intersection drainage project (about $266,000; targeted for 2029); a large West Meadowbrook storm sewer upgrade (about $3.12 million; targeted for 2030); and a Jackson Drive realignment to provide a redundant storm sewer bypass (about $2.63 million; targeted for 2031). "The 5 projects that we have planned for our CIP total about $8,500,000," Getzelman said.
Trustees pressed staff on prioritization and funding. Staff described a prioritization process driven by consultant hydraulic modeling that evaluates 10-year and 100-year storm impacts, then applies a cost-benefit analysis to rank projects. Dan Kaup, who introduced the presentation, said the list reflects the highest-impact projects the village can pursue within current funding expectations.
On financing, staff said the stormwater utility generates about $1.4 million per year. Director Smith reported the village has implemented modest annual stormwater fee increases since the fee's inception: "We do," Smith said. "Since its inception, we've done 0.25 increase every year." Officials also said the village will continue to pursue grants and use other CIP flexibilities when needed; staff cautioned the draft plan is a reach list and that projects will be scheduled only after confirming available funding.
The board was told the draft stormwater master plan will be scheduled for formal consideration and possible adoption at the board's next meeting, and staff said further design and grant work will proceed in advance of construction.
