SUN CITY – The work to improve and restore the Neighborhood 28 detention pond in Sun City has begun.
On the early morning of April 17, the standpipe on a main pipeline in the pond was removed, starting a process that will lower the level of the pond by about two feet in the next week or 10 days. Once the water level has dropped, the association’s contractor will rake and remove excessive vegetation and debris exposed by the removal process. Seed will be added to the shoreline as conditions allow, in order to maintain the pond’s aesthetics and appearance.
“We will do our best to limit the impact of this on the pond’s appearance and the wildlife,” said Lauren Lee, Sun City executive director. “Thank you to residents for their patience during this transition.”
The standpipe should have been removed about 10 years ago. It was installed in 2003 when Neighborhood 28 was designed and built. It was designed to filter out sediment during the initial construction period. Its presence in the pond has raised the water level, creating a flooding danger in rainy periods, according to environmental engineers. The presence of the standpipe was discovered by workers building the addition at Huntley High School, whose property is located immediately north of the pond.
The Village of Huntley, which oversees storm water detention standards and activities, asked Sun City officials to remove the standpipe, so that the pond would comply with Kane County storm water drainage guidelines. The pond is located on Sun City property in McHenry County, but since the village is located in both McHenry and Kane counties, it has adopted the Kane County storm water ordinance.
Residents of Neighborhoods 27 and 28 objected earlier to the removal, saying it would harm the ecology and appearance of the pond.
