Silver Meadows Home Flooding Can't Be Fixed, But Road Access Can

Engineers commissioned by the village have come up with a fix for flooding that cut off part of the Silver Meadows subdivision to traffic last summer – but it wouldn't help with floodwaters that swamped homes.

On July 22, flooding from powerful thunderstorms left residents in the Silver Meadows subdivision isolated. Floodwaters more than 1 1/2 feet deep covered both roads leading into the subdivision and left the area inaccessible by vehicles for 24 hours.

The village charged engineers from the firm Ruekert-Mielke to conduct an analysis of the floodway through the subdivision and to present their findings and a potential solution. On Monday, nearly six months later, a solution to the roadway flooding was proposed.

Unfortunately for residents, nothing can be done to stop floodwaters from flowing through their subdivision. However, engineers proposed raising Silver Meadows Road about a foot to ensure vehicle access in the event of a significant rainfall.

Terry Tavera, a project manager with Ruekert-Mielke, said Silver Meadows and Maclynn drives respectively bisect a 500-foot and 700-foot section of a regional floodplain.  High groundwater, undersized culverts and State Highway 74 construction have caused these spots to flood more quickly and frequently.

“Even small rain events are causing these areas to flood,” Tavera said. “It makes it very difficult to fix the situation.”

Tavera proposed constructing a precast bridge on Silver Meadows Road and digging two 10-foot by 5-foot box culverts. The end result would raise the road about a foot and allow vehicle access in the event of a major storm. The estimated construction costs were approximately $325,000.

However, the floodwaters would simply flow under the bridge and continue downstream. The volume of water wouldn’t change, and Maclynn Drive would still be inaccessible when heavy rains came.

“If we could solve both roads we would, but at this time it didn’t seem feasible,” Tavera said.

Tavera said Silver Meadows Drive was chosen because it featured the shorter 500-foot stretch across the floodplain. Putting a similar installation at Maclynn Drive would require significantly more construction and costs.

Even after raising Silver Meadows Drive, the roadway would still be subject to 6 to 8 inches of flooding during a 100-year rain event.

Residents in attendance were frustrated that nothing could be done about the amount of water flowing through their subdivision. They felt that new industrial construction in Sussex was contributing to their flooding concerns.

Village Board Trustee Michael McDonald said the Silver Meadows subdivision was constructed roughly 50 years ago, when geographic studies of this extent weren’t examined before building. If building in that area were proposed today, he said, it would be denied.

“It cannot be solved," McDonald said. "Because of the lay of the land, we won’t be able to get rid of the water. We are trying to make sure these folks have safety with access when those waters do come.

“I know that’s not what you folks what to hear, but unfortunately, that’s the lay of the land right now.”

The bridge proposal on Silver Meadows Road still has a lengthy journey of approvals to reach before a shovel hits the dirt. The process is further complicated because the project would require  state and federal permits, and that process can move at a snail’s pace.

Officials said that at the earliest, construction could begin in the summer of 2012.