County staff review April floods, map viewer and MS4 compliance; seeks regional partners for Keshwaki watershed plan
May 28, 2026 | McHenry County, Illinois
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County stormwater staff updated the committee on April flooding, MS4 permit changes and a proposed watershed planning effort.
Staff demonstrated a GIS-based flood viewer with photos from the April event and described the worst-hit neighborhoods — principally areas along the Nippersink/Highlands corridor, Holiday Hills and Orchard Heights — and said the event was modeled by IDNR as roughly a 20-year flood in many locations. Staff said the mapping and drone imagery will be folded into a "story map" and shared with IDNR to support future Fox watershed planning.
On permit compliance, staff summarized an MS4 workshop (run with Lake County) and said communities received an IEPA cover letter that generally gives them one year from its postmark date to bring programs into compliance with the new MS4 permit. Staff described how the county will file its MS4 annual report and plan to use training and posted materials to help municipalities meet the new illicit-discharge-detection-and-elimination requirements.
For longer-term planning, staff presented a near-final RFP and budget for a Keshwaki River watershed plan estimated just under $400,000, with about $280,000 of that tied to water-quality work and the rest for flood mapping. Staff said an IEPA Section 604(b) planning grant (no match required) is the preferred funding route and noted outreach to Boone, Kane and other partners to lower McHenry County's direct share.
Staff said the county hopes to finalize partners and post the RFP soon; if the 604(b) grant is secured, the county would manage the planning process and distribute responsibilities across participating jurisdictions. The committee asked about the county's ultimate share and whether contingencies or match-like running costs would be needed to front small expenses pending reimbursement; staff said reimbursement timing varies by grant and that the county typically must show upfront expenditure and later reimbursement under some programs.
Staff demonstrated a GIS-based flood viewer with photos from the April event and described the worst-hit neighborhoods — principally areas along the Nippersink/Highlands corridor, Holiday Hills and Orchard Heights — and said the event was modeled by IDNR as roughly a 20-year flood in many locations. Staff said the mapping and drone imagery will be folded into a "story map" and shared with IDNR to support future Fox watershed planning.
On permit compliance, staff summarized an MS4 workshop (run with Lake County) and said communities received an IEPA cover letter that generally gives them one year from its postmark date to bring programs into compliance with the new MS4 permit. Staff described how the county will file its MS4 annual report and plan to use training and posted materials to help municipalities meet the new illicit-discharge-detection-and-elimination requirements.
For longer-term planning, staff presented a near-final RFP and budget for a Keshwaki River watershed plan estimated just under $400,000, with about $280,000 of that tied to water-quality work and the rest for flood mapping. Staff said an IEPA Section 604(b) planning grant (no match required) is the preferred funding route and noted outreach to Boone, Kane and other partners to lower McHenry County's direct share.
Staff said the county hopes to finalize partners and post the RFP soon; if the 604(b) grant is secured, the county would manage the planning process and distribute responsibilities across participating jurisdictions. The committee asked about the county's ultimate share and whether contingencies or match-like running costs would be needed to front small expenses pending reimbursement; staff said reimbursement timing varies by grant and that the county typically must show upfront expenditure and later reimbursement under some programs.
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