Plagued by chronic flooding, the town of Midlothian, Illinois lacks the financial resources necessary to provide comprehensive flood protection and mitigation. The Chicago-based Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) stepped in to develop a multi-pronged flood plan called RainReady Midlothian, with additional help from partners including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD). The initiative calls upon residents, municipal leaders, and business owners to work together to protect the community from dangerous flooding. The RainReady plan includes adding a detention pond, widening culverts, clearing the creek of sewer-blocking debris, and adding water-absorbent plant life. In addition, grant funds will enable the city to improve pedestrian access to the metro station and absorb runoff along roadways more effectively. RainReady Midlothian, along with off-shoot projects such as the MWRD’s $8.3 million Natalie Creek flood reduction investment, demonstrates the vast potential that innovative flood planning can provide to the public safety of a community.
Gamechanger added in 2016.
