Naperville homeowners along the West Branch DuPage River corridor, from the Riverwalk downtown to Knoch Knolls Park, would become eligible for state-funded water quality and flood infrastructure projects if DuPage County approves a regional watershed management plan on Tuesday, July 7.
The DuPage County Stormwater Management Committee meets at 9 a.m. at the county campus in Wheaton to vote on the Upper West Branch DuPage River Watershed-Based Plan, a document two years in the making that identifies water quality problems and proposes infrastructure fixes across a 128-square-mile watershed stretching through 14 municipalities, including Naperville.
Once both DuPage County and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency approve the plan, municipalities and other stakeholders can apply for state grant funding to carry out projects the plan recommends, according to DuPage County Stormwater Management. Without adoption, those grants remain inaccessible.
Why Naperville residents should care
The West Branch DuPage River runs directly through downtown Naperville. On Aug. 19, 2025, a storm dumped two inches of rain on the city, sending the river over its banks and flooding the 1.75-mile Riverwalk. City spokesperson Linda LaCloche confirmed road closures overnight. In April 2026, four of DuPage County's five major flood control facilities triggered after 2.6 inches of rain fell in a matter of hours across northern DuPage and Cook counties.
"With all the rain we've received, it's good to see our investment in infrastructure is paying off," Stormwater Committee Chair Jim Zay said after the April storms.
DuPage County operates 17 flood control facilities with a combined storage capacity of nearly six billion gallons. But the watershed plan goes beyond flood storage. It targets water quality impairments — pollutants, erosion, habitat loss — and proposes solutions the county and cities can fund through IEPA Section 319 grants once the plan is adopted.
What's on the agenda
Beyond the watershed plan itself, the committee will vote on:
- Comment Response Document: A formal response to public comments submitted during the comment period that closed June 4.
- $65,000 engineering contract with Vernon Hills-based Gewalt Hamilton Associates for professional engineering and land surveying services through November 2027. The agenda describes this as a "first and final renewal" of an existing contract.
- $37,550 intergovernmental agreement with the Village of Downers Grove for the 39th Street Water Quality Structures Project, funded through DuPage County's FY2026 Water Quality Improvement Grant program.
- FY 2027 budget discussion for the stormwater program.
The committee, chaired by District 6 County Board member James Zay, includes six county board members and six municipal appointees.
What residents don't know yet
DuPage County has not released a neighborhood-level breakdown showing which Naperville streets or subdivisions would benefit most from projects recommended in the plan. The full plan document was not available through the county's online comment portal, which returned an error when accessed. Residents can request the document through DuPage County Stormwater Management at 630-407-6673 or by contacting Mary Beth Falsey at 421 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton, IL 60187.
No date has been announced for a full DuPage County Board vote on the plan following committee action. Naperville is a co-permittee in DuPage County's regional stormwater permit partnership, meaning the city shares responsibility for meeting Clean Water Act requirements under an intergovernmental agreement with the county.
How to weigh in
The July 7 meeting agenda includes a public comment period. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the DuPage County campus, 421 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton. Agendas are posted at dupage.legistar.com.
City Hall week ahead
- Tuesday, July 7, 9 a.m. — DuPage County Stormwater Management Committee, 421 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton. Votes on Upper West Branch watershed plan, $65,000 engineering contract, $37,550 Downers Grove water quality agreement. Agenda: dupage.legistar.com
- Tuesday, July 7 — DuPage County Public Works Committee, same location. Budget transfers, bid awards, and action items including rescission of a prior utility bill printing contract.
