The Forest Lake neighborhood, a community built around a recreational lake, consists of small lots and minimal storm sewer infrastructure. During even small storm events, the houses on Starry Lane were experiencing ponding water in their yards that was causing damage to their properties. The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission identified this subdivision and its drainage concerns as a high priority area for construction in the summer of 2020. LCSMC partnered with Ela Township with GHA to evaluate and implement stormwater solutions.

The GHA team worked to develop an existing conditions XPSWMM model, to characterize the existing conditions. Proposed condition scenarios were modeled to provide several potential solutions, ensuring that the proposed improvements would not adversely impact any of the downstream properties.

The project was awarded funding through LCSMC, including the Stormwater Infrastructure Repair Fund and Stormwater Capital Improvement Project grants. GHA developed applications for this funding and worked closely with LCSMC to value-engineer the site while getting the improvements constructed on an expedited schedule.

Due to the age and density of the subdivision, GHA’s role in construction oversight was extensive to ensure the proposed storm sewer improvements did not interfere with the existing utility infrastructure, including sanitary mains, water main, existing drain tiles, and gas and electric lines. Construction staff worked closely with the contractor and the stormwater modeling engineer to ensure all required field adjustments would not decrease the capacity of the proposed storm sewer system.