Re-Routing Excess Flood Water of Buffalo Creek to the Des Plaines River
Team Members Heading link
- Cyan Brown
- Mayyada Donley
- Niko Njaastad
Advisors: Joseph Wilk, EI; Jeana Gowin, PE, CFM; Dr. Joseph Schulenberg
Project Description Heading link
Buffalo Creek within Wheeling, Illinois, presents an ongoing flooding problem. The village’s situation is similar to that of other communities along the Des Plaines River. Living along Buffalo Creek can prove to not only be a dangerous endeavor, but a costly one as well. According to a Detailed Watershed Plan done by Christopher B. Burke Engineering, approximately $68 million in existing condition damages have been endured over the past 50 years. Yet, despite the implementation of other flood mitigation projects around the stream of water, Buffalo Creek still shows many locations in need of change.
The stormwater diversion tunnel that was created in Albany Park provided a great method of decreasing urban runoff; this design aims to serve as a similar solution to the Buffalo Creek area. There are multiple ways to alleviate the area’s flooding problems, but the use of an underground stormwater diversion pipe shows to have the most promise for the community in the long run. Of course, Wheeling isn’t just an open stretch of land with the feasibility of any engineering project. Researching the area has shown that many places within Wheeling simply do not have the required quality nor quantity of the available space. This project will be about pinpointing an area in need of flood control and considering the feasibility of an underground flood pipe. In order to ensure the feasibility of the pipe, a couple of objectives will be considered: reducing the effects of flooding due to Buffalo Creek in Wheeling and considering the impact of construction/project implementation on the environment. With this pipe, the expected results should be a decrease in homes flooded as well as a reduction in the depth of ponding in the area to six inches or less.