Storms Trigger Flood Warnings For Fox River
(CBS) -- The latest round of storms, and those of the past few weeks, are prompting flood warnings.
Storms Trigger Flood Warnings For Fox River
Lake County (Ill.) Emergency Management Coordinator Kent McKenzie said, at the moment, he sees a much greater potential for flooding along the Fox River.
"For the Des Plaines River we believe that there's only going to be minor flood impact, basically along the length of the river," he said. "We're more concerned along the Fox River-Chain O'Lakes system."
He said that with every new storm, those concerns increase.
"There was a lot of rain that fell over the past few days in Wisconsin, where the watershed that feeds the Fox River is located, and that water is making its way toward Lake County," he said.
McKenzie is most concerned about the area between the Chain O'Lakes and the Wisconsin border, particularly the Fox River Springs subdivision in Antioch Twp., where he said water could flow into yards, cover roads and impact homes. Last summer's drought kept water levels along the Fox River low for a while, but he said that is history after the past few weeks.
What happens next is of special concern. He said if another heavy rain falls in the next 24 hours, flooding could be far worse.
He said the Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources is operating the dams at McHenry and Algonquin in accordance with detailed management plans that are designed to reduce flood damage, but he said it will not be possible to eliminate it.
Even at current levels, he said flooding could persist in some areas until Monday.
