Dolton officials outline flood‑relief projects, seek disaster relief after heavy rains

Village officials told the Dolton board on July 6 that heavy rainfall and saturated regional infrastructure have intensified local flooding and prompted the village to pursue multiple mitigation and relief avenues.

Britney McFersonson of Robinson Engineering said the village is pursuing an MWRD technical grant (application due Dec. 15) to produce preliminary designs addressing villagewide storm‑water flooding, and noted the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OLAG) grant (typically due in August) awards up to $600,000 for park upgrades. She said Dolton already received a $546,000 MWRD green‑alley award intended to rebuild alleys with green‑infrastructure to improve drainage.

McFersonson also described a $3.3 million MWRD flood‑relief project that will create a new drainage ditch conveying runoff to a storage basin and ultimately into a 42‑inch storm sewer; she said design is roughly 30% complete and further presentations will occur as the design approaches final stages. She said IEPA lead service‑line replacement agreements are in place and a pre‑construction meeting was expected in August, with contractors to contact residents in high‑priority areas.

Superintendent Matt Stacy described on‑the‑ground work after back‑to‑back storms — water‑main repairs, meter installations and branch pickup — and said the Thornton quarry had been temporarily full, limiting downstream capacity; he reported creek levels were receding but urged residents to monitor the weather.

Resident Beatatrice Wheeler told the board floodwater at her apartment complex had reached depths that impeded ambulance access and blocked driveways; Superintendent Stacy and staff offered to follow up with an on‑site assessment and exchange contact information.

Mayor Jason Curry said the village has requested that Cook County and the governor’s office consider a disaster declaration to make the community eligible for FEMA or other federal relief; Chief Stephen McCain said he will meet with the Department of Homeland Security (through Cook County) and the American Red Cross to gather data on the hardest‑hit residents and to seek supplies or a local relief hub. Chief McCain also urged residents to request sandbags; the village obtained 300 sandbags from Cook County and had been distributing them.

Why it matters: Engineers and public‑works staff laid out near‑term design work and grant deadlines that could fund drainage improvements and storm‑water projects. Trustees and staff signaled active efforts to secure short‑term relief and longer‑term infrastructure investment but did not commit to specific local tax or spending measures at the meeting.

Next steps announced at the meeting included further design briefings for the $3.3 million flood‑relief project, a pre‑construction schedule for IEPA‑funded lead‑line work, ongoing MWRD coordination, and follow‑up with county/state emergency‑management partners about potential relief programs.