Village pays for new stormwater system one project at a time

Stormwater flooding was a primary issue on the minds of Morton, Ill., businesses as the village grew. The same storm sewer system and creeks that drained a town of 5,000 residents in 1960 was inadequate 20 years later when the population had reached 14,000.

In 1980, Morton received nearly six inches of rain in a 12-hour period, an amount classified as greater than a 100-year storm. The village board of trustees began investigating ways to deal with the drainage problem.

The village contacted consulting engineers at Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Springfield, Ill., to develop a facilities plan required by EPA. However, what started as a study of the stormwater drainage quickly broadened when the engineers realized the extent of the problem.

Flow-monitoring equipment and hydraulic analysis determined that the combined sewer overflows and sewer backups could only be solved by addressing the overall stormwater drainage problem.

Morton resolved to finance the improvements on a pay-as-you-go system rather than take on debts to be paid in future years. The costs were estimated at $10 million, equal to the village’s entire annual budget. (The city is located in the nation’s conservative heartland, and its village board refused to raise taxes, issue bonds or impose special assessments. Instead, it developed a plan in 1981, and over the next 15 years, paid for the work one project at a time from sales and real estate tax revenues.)

In 1982, the village began to reconstruct its stormwater drainage system. Morton intended to manage the situation at its source by building a 10-acre stormwater retention pond, as opposed to simply dredging out the creeks and pointing the water downstream.

While awaiting approval for the overall plan, the village began to provide some immediate relief by replacing bridges and cleaning, clearing and restoring sections of three major drainage channels. When the plan was approved, the village purchased land and built the retention pond at the head of Prairie Creek, the major drainage channel running through the heart of town.

The work progressed more quickly in some years than others, depending on the availability of funds. Intergovernmental cooperation and assistance totaling $1 million aided in the projects, and nearby Tazewell County assisted under the County Aid to Bridges Program.

The state of Illinois also helped, providing a grant through the Community Development Assistance Program. Through a joint project with IDOT, a box culvert on Main Street was replaced in 1996 to eliminate a major bottleneck between the detention pond and a new flume.

Today, Morton’s storm sewer system has been totally integrated through comprehensive stormwater drainage improvements that include 25 bridges or box culverts; a 10-acre retention pond; 3,500 feet of flume; and five miles of improved creek and drainage ditches.

Although residents cannot see the underground sewer system improvements, including 30 miles of storm sewer varying in diameter from 12 inches to 60 inches, they realize that hundreds of properties that used to flood no longer do so.

The most telling proof of success came during the wet springs which included an unexpected two-and-a-half-inch rainfall.

The community was able to handle the stormwater without significant street flooding or basement backups. Moreover, some areas within the village are no lon ger identified as being in the floodway of a 100-year storm; thus, property owners who have mortgages with a federally insured lending institution no longer have to carry flood insurance.

The floodwater elevations have been greatly reduced and village officials even convinced the Federal Emergency Management Agency to revise its maps resulting in several hundred families now saving an estimated $300 annually.

The improvements also sparked a fix-up fever. When residents saw their new streets and sidewalks, many decided to spruce up their houses and neighborhoods.

After 15 years of taking many small steps on its $10 million Master Drainage Improvement Plan, Morton now has a comprehensive stormwater drainage system, paid for in cash, and a refurbished look to its neighborhoods.

Who helped: Crawford Murphy & Tilly, P.J. Hoerr, Wm. Auppererle & Sons, R.A. Cullinan & Sons, Otto Baum & Sons, Austin Engineering