FLOOD02558 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

.Keep the channel maintained. Underbrush will slow flood flows. Logs and sticks will add to the debris at openings. The channel can gradually lose its water carrying capacity through siltation. Many times homeowners alter the ditches running next to their property. A shallow swale may be prettier and easier to mow than a ditch but it could carry less water than it is supposed to. Don't forget that the floodplain outside the channel is needed periodically to carry floodwaters. Many builders forget this and they fill or build houses and roads up to the channel's edge. In some of our flatter areas, building such a structure a block away from the channel will affect flood flows. In Illinois, upstream property owners have a legal right to unobstructed natural drainage of water off their lands. It is the adjacent ("riparian") property owner's responsibility to prevent obstructions that could back up water and damage another's property. The riparian owner should keep his portion of the channel clear of debris, logs, fallen limbs, and such obvious obstructions. It is doubtful that a riparian owner would be held liable for gradual siltation but he could expect trouble if he altered a ditch so that it carried less water. In order for a National Flood Insurance Program insurance policy to be sold in your community, the local government promised the federal government that it would prevent improper construction from causing obstructions. There is an ordinance or resolution in effect that prohibits construction and development in the floodplain from aggravating flooding. Improper or questionable development should be reported to the local building or zoning officials. If the problem construction is not stopped, contact the Division of Water Resources' Local Floodplain Programs Section, 300 North State Street - Room 1010, Chicago, Illinois 60610. 32 L