McHenry County Blog

Lots of pipelines run throughout McHenry County.

Pipelines running though McHenry County.  One running Northwest to Southeast through Bull Valley is being repaired.

About a week ago, work began in a field two hundred feet north of the Boone Creek Golf Course on Mason Hill Road and about 500 feet from Boone Creek.

There’s a long trench in the cornfield north of the Boone Creek Golf Club.

The problem is located between Bull Valley and Mason Hill Roads.

A close-up of the water at the bottom of the area where an Enbridge pipeline is being repaired in McHenry County.

A friend of McHenry County Blogs reports,

It is “the size of 10 parking spaces.

“It is half full of green water that looks like they pump out everyday as it fills up.”

Where is the pipeline problem?

One can clearly see where the pipeline runs on this Mapquest aerial image. Look at the line running from Northwest to the Southeast. The arrow is approximately where the pipeline repair is occurring.

The red arrow points to the approximate location of the pipeline work.

A part of the U.S. Department of Transportation is the watch dog. Here is what I received from the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration:

“According to the information you provided, the pipeline you ask about appears to be an Enbridge Energy, Limited Partnership owned/operated line which transports crude oils from Superior, Wisconsin to Griffith, Indiana.

“PHMSA does not require pipeline operators to provide notice to the agency in advance of conducting routine repairs on a pipeline.

“In addition, depending on local laws, notifications may not be required to local authorities for routine repairs unless the operator is required to obtain a permit to conduct excavation activities to impact a roadway or other public owned infrastructure or facility.

“For more information about Enbridge pipelines, including past failures, visit the Operator Information page of our Stakeholder Communications website for Enbridge Energy, Limited Partnership.”

I was referred to the Federal agency by Illinois EPA Emergency Response employee Kendra Dickerson.

She told me, “When companies work on pipelines they don’t have to notify the EPA. They coordinate with the Pipeline Safety and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.”

The following comment from Rawson Bridge Road homeowner Norell Kern appeared under a recent Fox River flooding article.  I thought the volunteers from Nunda Township might appreciate it.

Sandbags around a Fox Riverfront Rawson Bridge Road home.

Yes, that is Rawson Bridge Rd down the street from the Broken Oar.

My husband and I own the house right there at 701 Rawson Bridge Road.

We are so grateful for all the volunteers and for Nunda Township for all the help with sandbagging.

We came within a few inches of the water entering our house, we are so lucky it did not come in and it only filled up our yard with 2-4 feet of water.

The Fox River flowed into this yard, but not into the home.

We are anxiously awaiting the river to recede so we can start clean up and mold control.

Thank you soooooo much and God bless the volunteers in our community!

We couldn’t have saved our house without you!

An email from Nunda Township Trustee Mike Shorten:

Urgent… Volunteers still needed

Good Morning,

Despite reports relayed in the media that the Fox River had crested yesterday, the Nunda Road District Employees have seen otherwise and the water has risen overnight and continues to rise.

Volunteers are still needed to assemble sand bags as orders have continued to come in from affected residents.

With sandbags in place and a pump running, this Nunda Township man tries to protect his home from the record Fox River flood. His home is located in Bayview Beach Subdivision in Prairie Grove, just east of Prairie Isle Golf Course.

Operations will continue today at the Nunda Township Highway Department located at 3518 Bay Rd in Crystal Lake and will likely run into the evening. We have been overwhelmed with support from Nunda Residents and people from neighboring communities.

Again, even if you have an hour or two and regardless of your physical ability every person that shows up is a huge help.

Yesterday Nunda Township Supervisor-Elect Lee Jennings sent out another robo-call seeking volunteers.

Can anyone identify where this flooded Nunda Township Road is located?

[Jennings identified this as Rawson Bridge Road near the Broken Oar.  When he emailed me, he said the water was higher on Monday morning.]

People are needed for both heavy lifting and tying up the bags of sand.

On Sunday, April 21, the Fox River was still rising as of 1:15 PM at the McHenry Dam.  The water is at 7.36 feet, above the record of 7.2 feet.

Here is Jenning’s plea for help:

Lee Jenings

Where the Bay Road Nunda Township Office complex is located.

“Even though the rain has stopped, the Fox River continues to rise.

“Nunda Township still needs able bodied volunteers to help operate a sandbagging program to assist our residents affected by the flooding.

“We will not stop until the river crests and the flooding begins to subside.

“Please join us this weekend from 8:00 am until 9:00 pm Saturday and Sunday at the Nunda Township Highway Department located at 3518 Bay Rd. in Crystal Lake.

“Even a few hours of your time will help tremendously.

“If you are in need of sandbags or for more information, please contact the Nunda Highway Dept at 815-459-4410.

“Thank you.”

Jim Harrison

With Jim Harrison deciding that he is going to run as an Independent in the McHenry County Sheriff’s race next year, it’s time to look at what has happened in the recent past when Independents ran against Republicans.

The most prominent was when State Rep. Mark Beaubien’s widow Dee.

In that contest, Republican David McSweeney was the Republican.

Each spent heavily to demonize the other.

Coming off a contentious three-way GOP primary, McSweeney won 58% to 41%.

Grafton Township’s most recent election had a well-publicized slate of Independents running for election against winners of the Republican Party primary election.

On the top of the ticket was Huntley Village Trustee Pam Fender facing off against Independent Jim Kearns.

Republican Fender, who won a hotly-contested three-way primary election with 39% of the vote, spent about $2,500 in the first quarter of the year. This does not include the week before the election, so more may have been spent.

Independent Kearns won by just under three-quarters of one percent (1944-1877). Kearns has not filed a report with the State Board of Elections. Such reports are required if one raises or spends over $3,000 in an election.

The third recent example also occurred in Grafton Township.

In a two-way race, Al Zielinski beat incumbent Bill Ottley 55% to 45% in the Republican Primary Election.

Zielinski spent a bit over $6,200, filing his report after the required deadline. I can find no campaign disclosure report for Ottley. [Looked again after a commenter said he could find it. The only way I could find it was by using the search word "Huntley" in the name of the town. He spent spent $2,461.21, but reports a negative balance of $461.21, something I believe the State Board does not allow. All the money came from Ottley and his wife.] No report has been filed by Jensen either, but as mentioned earlier, one is only required if the $3,000 threshold has been exceeded.

In the general election, Republican Zielinski edged out Independent Terra Jensen by 5.8 percentage points (1,998-1,774).

There was also a race against Republican nominee for Grafton Township Road Commissioner Tom Poznanski. He won the GOP Primary against Richard Dvorak by 63% to 37%. Poznanski is the Chairman of the Grafton Township Republican Central Committee.

In the April General Election, Poznanski was challenged by Independent Tim Hoeft. Poznanski won by 54-46.

Over in Nunda Township Independent Leda Drain ran against Republican Lee Jennings.

Jennings had a hot primary with three people running. One withdrew her candidacy, but too late for her name to be taken off the ballot.

Jennings barely beat Bridgette Provenzano, but Provenzano endorsed his candidacy in the General Election.

The result was that Jennings got over 57% of the vote. It was Jennings 2,614 and Drain 1,937.

So in the five most recent examples, those on the Republican Party ticket four out of five contests.

Bill Prim

Andy Zinke

If I were Harrison, I would be hoping that the GOP Primary would be so heated that the backers of Bill Prim, if Andy Zinke won the primary, would back me.

Conversely, if Prim emerged victorious, I would be hoping that Zinki’s supporters would rally around my candidacy.

That did not happen, however, in the cases of

• McSweeney
• Zielinski
• Poznanski

It apparently did occur in the case of Jim Kearns victory over Pam Fender.

This is too small a sample from which to draw a conclusion, but it does indicate that when a primary contest in contentious, supporters of those who lose can rally to the campaign of an Independent.

In the case of Independent Jim Kearns’ victory, however, his Republican opponent Pam Fender was opposed by over 60% of the Republican Primary voters.

Another message from Nunda Township Trustee Mike Shorten:

“The sandbagging operation continues today as the river is not expected to crest until sometime tonight or early tomorrow morning.

“We need people to fill, tie and stack sandbags today.  I’m attaching a picture of part of yesterdays late night crew; every single person regardless of age or physical ability was a huge help.

Sandbaggers at the Nunda Township Garage on Friday night.

“If you have even an hour, come on out. The more people the have the faster we can produce the bags. With a full crew at each machine, I’d guess that we can make 25 sandbags a minute.

“The address is 3518 Bay Road in Crystal Lake and operations are under way right now!”

= = = = =
The Fox River continues to rise.

Below you see the gauge shows the water just below four feet above flood stage at the Algonquin Dam:

The Fox River flooding situation Saturday morning.

Here’s what the gauge says:

The gauge at the Algonquin Dam shows the rapid rise of the flood waters.

A second message has come from Nunda Township Trustee Mike Shorten:

“Thanks for the response yesterday.

This is one of the bagging operations at the Nunda Township Road District Facility. They have a machine that helps fill the bags, which is operated by volunteers and road district employees. Once the bags are filled they are sealed and then stacked on to pallets which are transported to homeowners affected by flooding.

“Between efforts Wednesday and yesterday over 16,000 sand bags have been created, but the need is still great as the Fox River in not expected to crest until sometime on Saturday.

People needed not only the fill the sandbags, but also to tie them.

“If you have time

• this afternoon/evening or
• any time on Saturday,

they need willing and able volunteers to help with the process of making bags and loading them on to pallets for delivery to residents and any amount of time that you can donate will make a huge difference in the efforts.

Once the sandbags are filled and tied, they are put on pallets.

“We need people that can lift but also need those who can just help tie the bags closed one they are filled.

The pallets are loaded onto trucks. Note that the sandbagging machine has four shoots.

“IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO HELP, please forward this message to your friends/family/neighbors that live in the area and that will be help enough.

GOP Primary opponents Road Commissioner Don Kopsell and winner Mike Lesperance have a common enemy now–the rising Fox River.

“No need to call just go to the highway department offices at 3518 Bay Rd. in Crystal Lake, IL. Mike Lesperance, who will be sworn in as the new Highway Commissioner on May 20th is managing the efforts.”

The second photo is one that I took from the street in front of a house where I delivered a pump. The picture is of the front door of the house and where you see water reflecting the light is where the driveway would be. The owner had to bring out a canoe to transport the pump to his house because it is surrounded by water and the house is protected only by the sandbags at this point.

And the Fox River is continuing the rise, as you can see from the U.S. Corps of Engineers Algonquin Dam data below:

The gauge at the Algonquin Dam on the Fox River shows the river at over three and one-half foot above flood stage fifteen minutes before 4 PM on Friday, April 19, 2013.

= = = = =
Photos were sent by Mike Shorten and Cindy Lesperance.

Here’s the text of Township Supervisor-Elect Lee Jennings robo-call yesterday:

Lee Jennings

“This is Lee Jennings, your newly elected Nunda Township Supervisor.

“Nunda Township is currently operating a sandbagging program to help our residents affected by the recent flooding.

“This program will be in operation 24 hours a day until the river crests and the flooding begins to subside.

“We are in desperate need of able bodied volunteers to help fill sandbags as well as load and unload trucks with sandbags.

“We would also appreciate donations of food, coffee, water and soda for the volunteers.

“This is taking place at the Nunda Township Highway Department located at 3518 Bay Rd. in Crystal Lake.

“For more information, please contact the Nunda Highway Dept at 815-459-4410 or call me at 847-606-6660.”

Jennings wrote last night,

“An estimate of number of sandbags so far is over 16,000.

“We were able to stop sandbagging around 9:30 this evening with a handful of us still assisting residents until about 11:00.

“Originally, we expected to work 24×7 but fortunately are able to get some rest due to the amazing response and help we received from the public.

“This process will be repeated again starting at 7:00 tomorrow morning and going into the evening (or all night if it starts raining again).

“I am so proud of our Township Road Crew, both our existing and newly elected Highway Commissioners and the wonderful volunteers that turned out to help.”

Sandbags available in Fox River Grove

Due to the recent amount of rainfall experienced in the Village over the last 48 hours, various locations throughout town are flooding. The Village has sand and bags available to residents if needed. These bags are not prepacked with sand but both bags and sand are available to residents free of charge.

They can be picked up at either the water tower located at Algonquin Road and Grove Avenue or at the park at Lincoln Avenue and North River Road.

Chief Lukasik

Don’t flush your toilets in old Lakewood

I got a phone call saying that there might be sewer backups in the part of Lakewood served by the Crystal Lake Sewage Treatment Plant.

After talking with a village employee, I’m assuming that infiltration into the sanitary sewer pipes is occuring.

That strikes me as strange because we had them lined with plastic pipes.

Here is what is on the Village web site:

HEAVY RAIN UPDATE: 04/18/13

Note that the less water used in your home, the greater capacity there is in the sewer system to decrease the possibility for raw sewage to back up into your home.

Please minimize water use to the greatest extent possible!

Call Village Hall at 815/459-3025 if you have any questions.   Thank you for your cooperation.

Nunda Township Seeks Sandbaggers

From Township Trustee Mike Shorten:

Good Afternoon,

I’m sending this message out to a multitude of contact lists so if you are out of the area or receive this message multiple times, I do apologize.

With all of the recent rain the Fox River had gone up over 2-1/2 and as a result many homes are at risk of flooding.

Nunda Township’s Highway department is helping by filling sandbags at the Township Offices for delivery to residents who’s homes are at risk. Because of the urgency of the situation the Highway Department is working around the clock and they are looking for willing and able volunteers who can help.

If you are available even for an hour or two to come out and help with the effort, volunteers will be welcome at the Highway Commissioner’s office located at 3518 Bay Road in Crystal Lake.

Thank you for your consideration and I hope to see you out there tonight!

4 PM Road Conditions

Closures:

• Kemman Rd. North of Vander Karr Rd. (Roadway washed out)
• Maxon Rd. between Oak Grove Rd. and Graf Rd. Chemung
• Riverside Road at Brentwood, McHenry
• Jankowski Rd between Billingsgate and Raycraft Rd, Greenwood Township
• Coon Creek Rd, entire Road closed, Marengo
• Carls Road, between Hartman Road, Grossen Road, Marengo
• Grange Road, west of Blissdale Rd to County Line Rd, Marengo
• Burma Road, between Grange Road to the 6100 block, Marengo
• Jackson Road, west of Burma Rd to County Line Rd, Marengo

High Standing Water:

• Algonquin Rd between IL RT 31 and Pyott Rd. Algonquin
• Route 20 at County Line Rd, Marengo
• River Rd. between Route 23 and Squire Rd., Marengo
• Route 23 at Olbrich Rd., Marengo
• Route 23 at Collins Road, Marengo
• Oak Grove Rd. between Route 173 and Wright Rd., Harvard
• Route 47 at Hercules Rd., Woodstock
• Sunnyside Rd at Perkins Rd, Woodstock
• Route 31 at Ringwood Rd., Ringwood
• Route 12 at Wilmot Rd., Spring Grove
• Wright Rd, Prairie Grove
• Route 176 at Buhl Rd., Prairie Grove
• Riverdale Rd and Dee Dr., Island Lake
• State Line Rd, between Lilja Rd and Weidner Rd
• County Line Road at Rt 173, Harvard
• Fleming Road between Bull Valley Road & Country Club Rd, Woodstock
• Ramer Road at Oak Grove Road, Harvard
• River Road between McHenry Dam Road and Fernview Road, McHenry
• Kishwaukee Valley Road at Noe Road, Marengo
• Rt 176 west of Terra Cotta Road
• Queen Anne Road between Rt 120 and Bull Valley Road
• College at Uteg, Crystal Lake
• Mary at Union, Crystal Lake
• Northshore at East, Crystal Lake

Despite a challenge from Nunda Township Supervisor employee Leda Drain, Republican nominee Lee Jennings handily won election.

The lead was almost 700 votes.

The Republican primary election was close. The general election was not.

In contrast with Grafton Township, Nunda Township Republicans put on a unified campaign, as can been seen by the Northwest Herald sticker from last Saturday.

Saturday, Lee Jennings had this sticker on the Northwest Herald. Note the endorsements from his GOP primary opponent and the two top vote getters for Road Commissioner.

Leda Drain had her sticker on the Northwest Herald on election day.