MCHENRY – Weâve had a very unusual summer in northern Illinois because of prolonged wet weather. But this doesnât surprise Water Resource Specialist Scott Kuykendall. Heâs always alert to extremes.
A staff member of the McHenry County Department of Planning and Development, Kuykendall is very aware of increasing precipitation patterns. He is preparing for the annual McHenry County Water Forum on Flooding.
âIâve received calls daily from people saying weâve had flooding, but itâs different now,â he said.
McHenry County residents, especially the repeat victims of flooding, are constantly alert. Theyâve witnessed the Fox River overflow its banks from north to south. Itâs only been a couple of years since then Governor Bruce Rauner personally encouraged volunteers filling sandbags and heard the concerns of flood victims living along the Fox River in Algonquin. Raunerâs visit gave the Fox River statewide attention though people like Kuykendall have followed water issues in McHenry County all along from flooding to safe sustainable water supplies.
Hosted on September 11 by the McHenry County Department of Planning and Development with key sponsorship from McHenry County College and the Heartland Realtors Organization, the forum will allow people to learn more about flooding and what they can expect in the future in McHenry County. âWe are getting more and more rain from more intense storms and this apparently will continue, so we must learn how to adapt ourselves, our communities, and our homes,â Kuykendall said.
Using rain as more of an asset than a liability presents a different mindset.
Cynthia Kanner, executive director of the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, and her volunteer staff with the water and natural resources protection committee are involved with the McHenry County Water Forum. Kanner will go Facebook Live inside the MCC Luecht Auditorium and Conference Center in Crystal Lake as presentations begin at 6:15 p.m. on September 11. Sheâll bring to Facebook Live comments from not only Paul Osman, chief of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources: âFlooding in Illinoisâ but also from other speakers talking about such topics as âFloodplain Management in McHenry Countyâ and âApproaches to Address Local Flooding.â Kannerâs idea involves native plants.
âOne of the things that I do is to have native plants as a garden in my front yard instead of turf grass. Water soaks into the native prairie plant and drops down into the aquafer, however, water runs off turf grass very easily and isnât soaked back into the earth,â Kanner said.
Kuykendall believes you can do things in constantly wet areas . âYou can create a rain garden and direct runoff from your roof to a rain garden so it can seep into the ground. Plant native vegetation with deep roots and itâll act like a sponge and reduce the amount of water coming off your property so itâs actually contributing less runoff to your neighbors downstream,â Kuykendall said.
The McHenry County Water Forum is a free program from 5:30-8 p.m. and includes food served by Dukeâs Ale House and Kitchen. The main event is the speakers, specialists in managing flooding and water resources. Youâll also have a chance to speak one-on-one with such professionals as engineers, ecologists, planners and conservationists.
McHenry County continues working on updating its Water Resources Action Plan (WRAP). The Forum on September 11 is a part of WRAP. Once the WRAP Task Force is finished, McHenry County will have a comprehensive guide on water resources. Upcoming task force meetings include October 9 on Transportation and meetings on November 13, December 11, and January 8, and February 12 and March 11 on the draft WRAP review.
