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Darien residents press council for action after July 4 flooding; council approves topographic survey
Summary
Dozens of Darien residents described repeated basement flooding and electrical outages after the July 4 storm. The council authorized a topographic engineering survey for heavily impacted properties (up to $20,000 plus a $15,000 contingency) and said it will pursue county, FEMA and utility assistance.
Dozens of Darien homeowners urged the City Council on July 20 to move faster to address repeated basement flooding and power outages after a July 4 rain event that residents said inundated streets and homes.
The council authorized Christopher B. Burke Engineering to perform topographic surveys of properties severely affected by the storm, approving up to $20,000 for the work plus a $15,000 contingency to cover additional sites or field time. Mayor Marquez and public works staff said the engineering work will determine how high the water rose, where runoff traveled and what mitigation options might be effective.
Why it matters: Residents described homes that flooded through window wells and patio doors, sanitary-sewer backups and transformers rendered inoperable by water. Several speakers said insurance did not cover overtopped window wells and urged the city to seek county or FEMA assistance and to press ComEd about repeated electrical failures. The survey will help the city quantify damage and support requests for external funding or design interventions.
Residents gave detailed accounts: "I have $70,000 damage," one homeowner said, recounting hours pumping water and replacing ruined belongings. Multiple speakers from Gale Avenue, Aylesworth Drive and the Brookhaven area described flood depths that exceeded prior events and said problems have grown worse since nearby development raised road grades.
City staff described next steps: Public works said the survey should take about a month, will focus on homes that experienced direct stormwater intrusion (not sanitary backups caused by separate issues), and could support options ranging from storm infrastructure upgrades to potential buyouts in the worst-impacted blocks. The mayor said he has contacted county representatives and will press for increased county reimbursement levels for overhead sewer retrofits (staff noted a DuPage County program currently offers $5,000 toward what can be a roughly $12,000 plumbing job).
Staff cautioned that fixes can be complex: Public works emphasized the need to map flow routes and detention capacity before picking remedies and warned that "putting in a bigger pipe is not the answer" in every case. The city also said it will collect drone footage and resident data and make technical reports available to the public for review.
What’s next: The council approved the survey and a contingency so staff can add locations as more damage reports come in. Staff will continue to coordinate with DuPage County and explore whether the event qualifies for larger disaster assistance such as a FEMA declaration. The city urged residents to keep filing specifics so addresses and damages are included in the study.
The council did not adopt a specific capital project at the meeting; instead the survey is intended to produce evidence to guide budgeting and potential county/state requests for aid.
