M3 Engineering is helping to analyze the flooding issues for a Chicago suburb and to develop potential solutions to help alleviate the problem. The Village of Harwood Heights, IL has suffered from frequent and extensive flooding that has inundated the streets and caused damage to buildings. M3 is using XP-SWMM hydrologic model to determine the root causes of flooding, as well as Optimatics optimization software to identify the most cost-effective solutions. Potential causes include tailwater effects from the downstream transmission system, undersized collection systems and inadequate inlet capacity on the residential streets. Solutions that are being studied include surface and subsurface storage, green infrastructure and collection system upgrades.
In order to fully understand the extent of the flooding problems and to offer the appropriate solutions, a series of public involvement events have been held for the residents to describe their flooding experiences and for the consulting team to demonstrate the effect of possible solutions.
