Fox River Creates Flood of Troubles for St. Charles

The heavy rains over the past 24 hours continue to take their toll in St. Charles as water encroached onto roadways, into parking lots and into peoples homes late Thursday afternoon.

St. Charles officials said late in the afternoon that emergency and public works crews are continuing to respond to the localized flooding. Little rain fell through the day, and city officials said floodwaters are receding in some areas.

Continued monitoring of the cresting Fox River is now key, the city said in a late-afternoon release. According to the National Weather Service, as of 3:30 p.m. Thursday, the Fox River was more than 3.21 feet above flood stage.

More river data can be found at www.stcharlesil.gov/flood. Select “Early Warning Flood Threat” from the “Other Sites: Related Info” menu.

The city also said it has received reports that St. Charles received about 4.1 inches of rain, and that the . Kane County Office of Emergency Management estimates the Fox River should crest by Saturday, April 20.

City Administrator Brian Townsend, in an email to St. Charles Patch on Thursday afternoon, said conditions have stabilized enough that it plans to close the Emergency Operations Center. Even so, the city plans to continue monitoring the situation and provide updates as needed overnight.

“Our staff and crews met yesterday before the storm hit to solidify our response plan,” said City Administrator Brian Townsend. “We continue to monitor the weather and local conditions. One thing we cannot stress enough is for people to pay attention to road closures and please do not wade through flooded areas. Currents can be deceptive and injuries can occur from floating debris.”

In the meantime, some businesses downtown found themselves conserving water — including closing restrooms — to keep their own places from suffering due to the city’s overloaded sewers and storm sewers.

While St. Charles Community Unit School District 303 reported serious flooding issues, the St. Charles Park District did close some of its sites.

Related:

• Outlook: Forecast: Fox Flooding to Ease in Tri-Cities
• Closures/Openings:

Let Patch save you time. Our free newsletter can be delivered to your inbox. Fast signup here.

Then like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @StCharlsILPatch.