The Sugar Grove Village Board of Trustees addressed drainage problems in the Mallard Point subdivision at the Sept. 17 meeting, after several residents shared concerns with village officials.
The village had been unable to access the 24-inch line that drains the Mallard Point subdivision until July, officials said.
“We thought it was originally just a wet spring,” said Brad Merkel, public utilities supervisor for the village.
The village started to notice a rise in ground water levels, officials said.
Merkel said there was about a 265-foot stretch of pipeline with breaks on each end of it.
The village enlisted the assistance of the engineering firm, J & S Construction, for design and repair work.
Merkel said they ended up doing substantial de-watering, and hiring J & S Construction to replace about 400 feet of the 24-inch pipe, which also resulted in the use of a heavier wall pipe.
Village President Sean Michels said the new pipe is of the structural type, which is hoped to prevent issues leading the pipe to sand.
The replacement pipe is 15 feet at the highest point and 17 feet at the lowest, officials said.
“De-watering was our saving grace because we still had a lot of water, but with those 13 wells, it dropped the water level quick,” Merkel said.
Michels asked how significant the ground water level drop was.
Merkel explained that ground water levels dropped by 10 feet and in some spots by 20 feet.
“The de-watering wells were anywhere from 30 to 40 feet deep,” he said, referring to the ground water levels prior to the repairs.
Well monitoring has occurred weekly, if not daily, in certain spots, officials said.
“In monitoring the levels, we’ve seen a huge decrease,” Merkel said. “It appears to be working well now. I haven’t heard anything from many of the normal residents that called.”
After Trustee Jen Konen questioned if, and how, the village can deem the effort to address the problems a success, Merkel explained the village can rest assured that the replacement pipe is working.
“The section of pipe that we replaced, we replaced because it was so full going through that section,” he said. “That’s the main point of origin. You could see the flow coming through that pipe like crazy.”
Merkel said he is not sure if any other issues that may exist.
“It’s really hard to get equipment in there where it’s all at,” he said.
The village intends to keep monitoring ground water levels and the wells to ensure the drainage issues are addressed.
Estimated costs associated with the repair amount to between $200,000 and $300,000.
The village is using funding available in its general fund to address the problem.
Sidewalk program
In other developments, the village board authorized the village administrator to execute an agreement for the proposed 2019 sidewalk program.
The village typically budgets $10,000 for its sidewalk program. However, village received about 20 requests for work to address trip hazards and replace Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramps in the Mallard Point subdivision.
Trustees voted to authorize the project in an amount not to exceed $23,000.
Village staff is in process of soliciting proposals for the work, which could begin as early as the spring of 2020.
Pact with Kane County Department of Transportation OK’d
Also at the meeting, officials approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Kane County Department of Transportation.
Board approval authorizes cost participation toward the proposed intersection reconstruction improvement at Bliss Road, Wheeler Road and Sugar Grove Parkway.
The village is allocating $232,873.50 toward the project.