Local Governments Can Be Champions For Flood Management: A Case Study From Algonquin, Illinois

By Erin Delawalla, The Epicenter Contributing Author

Municipal leaders have an opportunity to lead their communities to a resilient future and mitigate flood risk

When flooding disasters occur, local governments are expected to manage the crisis in the near-term and reduce losses in the long-term. They are expected to identify flood risks, address those risks, and do so without burdening residents with significant costs.

No one knows this better than local officials whose communities have experienced a catastrophic weather disaster like a flood. Amidst the disaster, officials take calls in the middle of the night from panicked homeowners worried that their basements are filling up with storm water or that the nearby creek is overflowing into their backyards. These officials host numerous public meetings to address residents’ concerns about what can be done to prevent future catastrophic flooding. And officials spend hundreds of hours managing the reconstruction of community infrastructure as well as helping homeowners navigate claims that have been sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for things like black mold or basement damage. 

But local leaders don’t always realize the power they have to do more than just react to disasters; they can and should also play a role in preventively preparing their communities for future weather events. That’s because local government officials are best positioned to know where the pain points are and can best take ownership of rebuilding and planning for future crises through planning and investment.

Michele Zimmerman, Assistant Public Works Director for Algonquin, IL–a suburb of Chicago– has experienced many of these situations in her 30 years working for the village. According to Zimmerman, 20 years ago, everything would flood during a typical "1 to 2 inch" rainfall event. Roads were closed, backyards were flooded, and culverts were clogged. People had standing water in their yards because detention basins didn’t function well. In a typical storm event, the village staff would be all-hands-on-deck to clean storm sewers and backyards, move debris jams out of creeks, and direct traffic away from flooded roads.

Zimmerman saw an opportunity to change how Algonquin managed water: from reactive crisis management to proactive capacity building. In recent years, Algonquin has made intentional resiliency investments that have fundamentally transformed how flooding affects its community. Algonquin is one of the rare communities that have invested in resiliency proactively by systematically identifying opportunities to incorporate resilience into their environment to alleviate flooding, enhance public resources, and even save money for Algonquin on maintenance costs.

Back in 2005, Algonquin’s population was growing, as was the amount of impervious land use (i.e., hardscape like cement, asphalt, houses, shopping strips, etc.) that prevents excess water from infiltrating into the ground. Older developments were not designed with stormwater in mind, and the net effect was more flooding. The default solution in the U.S. at the time was to utilize gray infrastructure–conventional hard materials, typically made of pipes, concrete, steel, and artificial detention basins–to control and store water to address flooding. The approach to managing stormwater was also handled at the individual parcel level, rather than taking a watershed view. This can result in development eliminating more water storage than it replaces, which can exacerbate flooding. 

Zimmerman had learned of a different approach to water management, one that uses ecological principles to mimic nature to hold and infiltrate water. This approach is sometimes referred to as “green infrastructure” or “nature-based solutions” (NBS). Algonquin lent itself well to these strategies, as it has many wetlands and streams flowing into the Fox River, which flows through the middle of town. County-level requirements were starting to require detention for new developments and encouraged naturalized versions of these solutions (e.g., using native grass in a detention basin to mimic a wetland rather than a turf grass bottom). Water infiltrates faster into the ground when native grass is planted versus turf grass.

Solving flooding is never an easy fix, but developing a watershed plan to identify the problems and opportunities can turn a big problem into manageable steps. For Algonquin, there was not a single large project that solved all flooding issues, but rather a programmatic approach that changed how water was managed throughout the whole community over time. In 2005, the Algonquin Public Works Department began by completing a natural area inventory plan, which identified the challenges and the opportunities within Algonquin’s watershed. The plan created a roadmap for the community to incorporate resilience one project at a time. In 2013, the Village drafted two 319 Watershed Plans to further streamline and direct these resiliency efforts. 

Public education on the benefits of this new approach was another key step for success. Zimmerman and her colleagues in the Public Works Department spent time educating the village’s board about the benefits of these approaches over gray alternatives. Her team explained that green solutions would not only last longer, but also were cheaper than the gray strategies. While the board embraced the strategy quickly, it took residents longer to be sold on the plan. Locals who lived next to creeks and detention basins initially pushed back. They were resistant to change and did not initially like the aesthetic of native vegetation, which they thought looked like weeds. Within 3 to 5 years after a project was implemented, with flooding reduced, residents have started calling the village’s Public Works Department asking for more projects to be done in their neighborhood. In particular, they have noted their appreciation for the wildflowers and aesthetic improvements that the projects have brought to their community.

How did the village pay for all of this work? 

• Existing Resources: The Algonquin Public Works Department started with land they already owned that could be integrated into a green infrastructure network to minimize land acquisition costs. These were spaces they were already paying to manage, so they were simply shifting the type of management from mowing and landscaping to more natural stewardship approaches.
• Grants: The local government applied for grants, including the state’s IL 319 program, which is designed to address water quality and can be used to fund projects that also alleviate flooding. Over 20 years, Zimmerman has brought in over $1.6M in grant funding. 
• Village Budget: The village’s success did not rely on grants alone. Every grant required a matching financial commitment from Algonquin, which Zimmerman was able to secure approval for because the board believed in the strategy. 
• Policy Protections for Existing Natural Resources: McHenry and Kane Counties–where Algonquin sits–also adopted Stormwater Management Ordinances to introduce mechanisms by which the village could collect “in lieu fees” from new development. These fees were then used to restore wetlands, detention basins, streams, and other natural areas within the village.   
• Flood-Resilient Requirements for Future Developments: Algonquin integrated “Conservation Design” into its village ordinance for future development, requiring certain development parcels to leave space for nature. This creates a built-in funding source for green infrastructure when new development comes to town.

Flooding conditions have dramatically improved despite increased rainfall

Although Algonquin has received more rainfall than it had twenty years ago, flooding conditions there have dramatically improved. The Illinois State Water Survey Bulletin 75 indicates that over the past century, Illinois’ average annual precipitation increased by 11% (from 36 to 40 inches) and the number of storms producing over 2 inches of rain has nearly doubled. It’s not just Algonquin getting more rain. The majority (85% or 2,645) of 3,111 counties in the U.S. are likely to experience a 10% or higher increase in precipitation as temperatures warm, according to a Climate Matters analysis based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data. 

Algonquin is ready for wetter conditions thanks to key strategies they are implementing:

• The village proactively removes invasive species from its restored creeks, detention basins and natural areas, so those trees and plants are not clogging stormwater flow and preventing drainage. 
• The tributary streams that flow into the Fox River are being reconnected to their floodplains, allowing the water to spread out as it would have done naturally pre-development.  
• Village-managed open spaces, as identified in the watershed plans, are being planted in native vegetation, which leads to significantly greater infiltration of water. 
• The village actively manages its restored natural areas every year, which is critical in urban landscapes. This prevents the recurrence of invasive species, avoids dead vegetation, and keeps drainage ways flowing.

Algonquin’s efforts are saving the village hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in maintenance costs

Both watershed plans are being updated, as they are both 10 years old. In the Jelkes Creek-Fox River watershed, the village has completed over half the projects in that plan. In the Woods Creek watershed plan, the village has completed over one-third of the projects. Zimmerman says she wants to implement every single project

Even without completing every identified project, Algonquin is already seeing the benefits of its investment. Zimmerman tracks the maintenance costs for the village to demonstrate how this approach is saving the village money. 

The village’s traditional landscape contract covers approximately 220 acres, which includes landscape beds and turf grass that has to be mowed. The contract costs $431,000 per year.

In contrast, the Village’s contract to manage natural areas costs only $150,000 annually, despite encompassing a much larger area: approximately 470 acres. Instead of mowing and non-native annual planting, the Village uses prescribed burns, targeted herbicide, and time for native vegetation to establish. And, as seen below, the natural areas look equally as stunning as any landscape bed.

Applying Algonquin’s Practices In Other Localities 

How can local governments take similar steps toward resilience? 

• Start with a watershed assessment of your community and the land the community already owns and manages. You don’t need to have the funding to solve the problems identified before you start planning. 
• Educate your staff and leadership about nature-based solutions (NBS). Understanding your watershed, where water comes from, where it drains to, and how land use in your community affects that drainage, provides a foundation for education and conversation with your community leadership and residents. 
• Talk with landowners in your community. They may be willing to host this infrastructure on their property or may already own land with critical natural resources that could be managed differently to prevent flooding downstream (e.g., wetlands, streams and creeks).
• Teach your local government leaders about the root causes of these issues to gain their support for solving them through green infrastructure projects. A key part of Algonquin’s success was that the Public Works Department spent time educating the village board, which led to the board repeatedly agreeing to fund more projects. After a while, the board saw the benefits for themselves–less flooding, fewer one-third roads, happier residents. 
• Consider how these natural resources within your community can be harnessed as an asset to attract recreational tourism. That can open access to parks and trails grants or create a revenue stream that could justify the restoration.
• Find your local champion with a passion for these solutions who will spearhead the identification of projects and funds over several years. If you don’t have a local champion, maybe this is an opportunity for you to step into that role yourself.  

Local governments will always play a significant role in responding to disasters like floods, but they should also be involved in helping to build resilient communities before the disasters hit. They have the unique expertise required to identify where funds are needed and determine how to fix problems, and can work with other community leaders and residents to ward against future weather threats.

This article is the first in a series about the role that different levels of government can play in addressing flooding.

Erin Delawalla led nature-based solution development for community resilience needs in the Midwest for RES, the nation’s largest operational ecological restoration company. She worked to develop innovative funding strategies for environmental restoration. Delawalla is a licensed attorney with extensive experience in permitting issues related to renewable energy and natural resources. She previously worked at a large renewable energy developer, managing wildlife and wetland issues for over a gigawatt of utility-scale wind and solar projects.

Have thoughts to share on this piece, or want to add your voice to the conversation? Reach out!