Flood - Wetlands, Lakes and COD Pond #7 Overtopping

The recent flood event redirected attention to the cause of flooding in South Wheaton and Glen Ellyn. In particular, the area south of the campus of the College of DuPage, and also to the southwest. Recent news publicity has focused on Wheaton's Lake #4, while Glen Ellyn - COD's overflowing ponds and wetlands have escaped scrutiny.


Here's an enlarged view of a portion of COD's designated wetlands and ponds, with Wheaton's Lakes #3 and 4, which are also "freshwater ponds" (PUBGx) in the National Wetlands Inventory (click on image to enlarge):

What Do the Codes Mean in the Above diagram?

PEMA = Wet Meadow. The Modifier "A" indicates it is "Temporarily Flooded" (Note 4).
PEMC = Wet Meadow. The Modifier "C" indicates it is "Seasonally Flooded".
PUBGx = Pond. The Special Modifier "x" indicates it is an "excavated" pond. (Note 5).

Is There a Significance to these Wetland Areas?
Yes. The Illinois Interagency Wetland Policy Act of 1989 states that:

830/1-2. Legislative declaration

º 1-2. Legislative declaration. The General Assembly finds and determines that:

(a) In 1818, Illinois contained an estimated 8.2 million acres of wetlands. Based upon preliminary results of the Illinois portion of the National Wetlands Inventory, less than nine percent of the original acres remain.
(b) With the significant loss in acreage, a corresponding loss in the functional values and benefits that wetlands provide has occurred.
(c) Continued loss of Illinois' wetlands may deprive the people of this State of some or all of the benefits which they provide, including:

(1) reducing flood damages by absorbing, storing and conveying peak flows from storms;
(2) improving water quality by serving as sedimentation and filtering basins and as natural biological treatment areas;
(3) providing breeding, nesting, forage and protective habitat for approximately 40 percent of the State's threatened and endangered plants and animals, in addition to other forms of fish, wildlife, waterfowl and shorebirds;
(4) protecting underground water resources and helping to recharge rivers, streams and local or regional underground water supplies;
(5) serving as recreational areas for hunting, fishing, boating, hiking, bird watching, photography and other uses;
(6) providing open space and aesthetic values, particularly in rapidly developing areas;
(7) providing unique educational and research opportunities because of their high diversity of plants and animals, their support for a high incidence of threatened and endangered species, and their function as a natural buffer for rivers, lakes and streams;
(8) supplying nutrients in freshwater food cycles and serving as nursery areas and sanctuaries for young fish; and
(9) helping to protect shorelines from the forces of water erosion.

Did Changes to the Nearby Wetlands Play a Role in the Recent Flooding?
The college comprises nearly 30% of the surface area of 1.5 square miles comprising Glen Ellyn and Wheaton which drains and floods. That area partially drains into Glen Ellyn - COD's Pond #7 (Note 3) and Wheaton's Lake #4. These two bodies of water are shown in the lower left hand corner of the above diagram. Other areas of Glen Ellyn's COD campus drain directly south and into the Foxcroft neighborhood. (Note 1).

COD's campus has large areas that are designated as wetlands and ponds. Yet, some of these areas have been converted to surface parking (asphalt) and additional construction is occurring in the southwest corner of the campus, most notably the CMC buildings and a very large berm running from the southern extreme of the campus and north to the southernmost tip of Lake #3 in Wheaton.

I suspect these constructions have placed additional stress on an area which periodically floods the neighborhoods to the south. In a recent post I documented the alteration of the natural path of water flow so that it now goes from the campus and westward into Lakes #3 and #4 in Wheaton. Is this "Failure by design?"

During the April 18 rainfall event Wheaton's Lake #3 overtopped. On the western portion of the campus, COD's Pond #7 overtopped; it's on College property and within the boundaries of Glen Ellyn. As water from the north and east inundated Pond #7 and Lake #4, these exceeded capacity as they always do in extreme rainfalls, and homes to the south were flooded, as they sometimes are during these types of rainfall events.

This year, the flooding seemed to be more extensive. On April 18 our association experienced a fast flowing stream along its eastern property line and bordering the College of DuPage. The southwest corner of the campus flooded areas to the south, and Wheaton's Lake #4 also overflowed (overtopped) it's berm. These events were overshadowed on April 20 by a leak in the berm on the south side Lake #4. All water from that leak drained into the storm sewer adjacent to the leak. The City of Wheaton has determined that the cause of the leak was a failed plug in a concrete drain pipe. There was no "sand boil." But, at the time, that could not be known, and prudence prevailed.

Here's what the videos, photographs and eyewitness accounts indicate. The April 18 flood on Brentwood Lane began with the overtopping of COD's Pond #7. As this was occurring additional water flowed into the south of the campus. Wheaton's Lake #3 overtopped and these streams (CODs and Lake #3 overflow) joined to flow south. As this combined stream continued south toward Lake #4 it was joined by the overflow of COD's Pond #9. The levels of both Pond #7 and Lake #4 continued to increase and the width of the overtopping of Pond #7 increased to include Lake #4. The overtopping was into the Brentwood neighborhood of Wheaton. This overtopping occurred because water flows downhill and because of the joining of overflow streams from COD south of the M building, COD's Pond #9, Wheaton's Lake #3, COD's Pond #7 and Lake #4. (Note 2).

The overtopping of Pond #7 was documented by an alert neighbor and a photo was posted on May 6. That photo is also included in this post. It shows the initial overtopping, which then grew and extended to the east and west. Wheaton's study of 1997 stated that this type of overtopping may be "200 to 400" feet in length.

COD's property retains so little water that as I remarked in a recent correspondence to Dr. Breuder, the President of COD, that the College is drilling one well on the campus to provide water for watering landscaping, decorative ponds and waterfalls. It is planning a second well and wants to install a large water tower! (Reference, 2012 DuPage County Zoning Commission Hearings).

I am unaware of any study prepared by the College of DuPage or the Village of Glen Ellyn which is as thorough as the one commissioned by Wheaton in 1997 and released to the public. That, and politics, may be why COD and Glen Ellyn have escaped scrutiny for this problem in recent years. That pattern seems to be repeating. I suspect the City of Wheaton, which authorized the preparation of the 1997 study, probably feels that "no good deed goes unpunished."

How Extensive are COD's the Wetlands?
There have been some questions raised in recent years about the wetlands and lakes in this immediate area.

So what areas are designated "wetlands" in our immediate vicinity?  You can go to the Fish and Wildlife Service, or to the USA National Wetlands Inventory to find out. I've included links at the end of this post.

Here is a current map overlayed with COD's Glen Ellyn campus; this shows the entire campus and Wheaton's Lakes #3 and 4. Not all recent campus construction is shown. For example, the CMC building is not shown. It is located immediately north of the "Freshwater emerging wetland" on the southwest corner of the campus. The light green areas "PEMA" and "PEMC" are "Freshwater Emergent Wetland" and the dark grey areas "PUBGx" are "freshwater ponds"  (clicking on the image will enlarge it):

As you can see in the above, Briarcliffe Lakes #3 and 4 are classified "freshwater ponds" while large areas within the COD campus are classified "freshwater emergent wetland." COD's newly constructed "pond 9" to the immediate north of the "pond 7" area is adjacent to the small "Freshwater Emergent Wetland."

Here are some of the areas of these ponds and wetlands:

• Lake 3 = 4.72 acres freshwater pond
• Lake 4 = 6.15 acres freshwater pond
• COD's Pond 7 area (Note 3) = 7.59 acres emergent wetland
• COD's area near Pond 9 = 0.83 acres emergent wetland
• COD Pond to the East of the M building =  2.92 acres freshwater pond
• COD Ponds immediately east of [Lambert] = 1.76 + 2.7 + 0.38 acres "freshwater ponds"
• COD Wetlands immediately east of [Lambert] and including parking = 10.65 acres "freshwater emergent wetlands"

There are additional wetlands and ponds in the overlay above, as per the USA National Wetlands Inventory.

Initial overtopping at Glen Ellyn - COD Pond #7 on April 18. The overflow in this photo expanded in width, became higher and larger (200 to 400 feet wide?) as it expanded  into Wheaton's Lake #4:

Here are some links for sources. Note that these may require the use of Internet Explorer:

Clicking will open a  New Window> US Fish and Wildlife Service

Clicking will open a  New Window> US National Wetlands Inventory

Clicking will open a  New Window> Illinois Wtlands Polid\cy Act - 1989

Clicking will open a  New Window> Illinois Department of Natural Resources - Wetlands

Clicking will open a  New Window> College of DuPage natural Areas





Notes:

1. The area which drains as well as other aspects of the flooding is described in the post of May 8, 2013. 
2. I read a May 7 article in the Chicago Tribune with the title "Wheaton will fix problem pipe that caused Briarcliffe flooding." I've sent an email to the reporter who authored the article because it contains serious inaccuracies. First, the leaking pipe is not what flooded Briarcliffe. Second, the overtopping of the berms on Pond #7 and Lake #4 is what caused the flooding. Third, the article collapses two separate events. The flooding occurred on April 18. The leak occurred on April 20. I sent photos and a chronology to the reporter. I'll publish that email, etc. here early the morning of April 14.   
3. The area of COD's Pond #7 once had a sign on it. It is the “B.J. Hoddinott Wildlife Sanctuary.” The college acknowledges its existence on its website. Mr. Hoddinott lived in Briarcliffe Lakes Manor Homes and donated funds to the college for the preservation of this area. According the college it is one of four natural areas on the campus “This nine-acre natural area is primarily a marsh and wetland that was dedicated as a preserve in 1983. There are no trails through this area.”


4. Wet meadows are "characterized by moist to saturated soils with standing water present for only brief to moderate periods during the growing season. Vegetation includes a wide variety of herbaceous species, from sedges and rushes to forbs and grasses. Woody vegetation, if present, accounts for less than 30% of the total area cover. Wet meadows were once common through Illinois, but now only small remnants remain. They were often found associated with wetland types, especially at the drier fringes of a lake, pond, or marsh. In some areas, wet meadows are often partially drained and farmed , and therefore lack the vegetation typical of this community. The soils in this community consist of silty and clayey materials in depressional areas. The reaction is typically neutral. The major soils are dominantly wet phases, or undrained phases of Peotone silty clay loam, Rantoul silty clay, Booker clay, Edinburg silty clay loam, Brooklyn silt loam, and Denny silt loam."   Reference: Illinois Department of Natural Resources Wetland Community Descriptions.
5. Ponds are "characterized by the presence of nearly permanent open water a minimum of one-half acre in size to a maximum of 20 acres(8 hectares). Although free of vegetation throughout the non-growing season, floating vascular plants and/or algae often comprise a majority of the vegetation mass during the mid-summer months. Rooted vegetation is generally restricted to the shallows. Bottom sediments consist of mud, sand, cobble, gravel, and organic debris. Many Illinois ponds are man-made and include farm ponds, borrow pits, and small reservoirs, as well as natural open water areas which may occur within a marsh or swamp. The soils of this community consist of silty and loamy materials. Reaction of the materials ranges from strongly acid to moderately alkaline. Typically, ponds are constructed in Ava silt loam, Hosmer silt loam, and Hickory loam in southern Illinois. Some of the larger ponds have Belknap silt loam in the bottom. In central and northern Illinois, the major sloping soils include Fayette silt loam, Miami silt loam, and Morley silt loam. Larger ponds would typically have Lawson silt loam in the bottom." Reference: Illinois Department of Natural Resources Wetland Community Descriptions.