Shortly after being sworn in, RCA worked with members of a resident flood control group to look at what the village could do. RCA and Riverside Residents for Flood Prevention reached out to the Cook County Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) and asked them to assist in cleaning up two problem areas: the BNSF train trestle that runs over the river west of the Riverside station, and the Forest Avenue bridge.

This fall, the MWRD and the Riverside Public Works department performed a cleanup of both areas. The results were dramatic:

BNSF Bridge - Before Cleanup

BNSF Bridge - After Cleanup

Forest Ave. Bridge - Before Cleanup

Forest Ave. Bridge - After Cleanup

The removal of debris allows the river to flow more freely, which should help mitigate flooding of homes in Riverside.

And RCA continues to work with Riverside’s resident anti-flooding group. We have advocated in front of the MWRD for an ordinance designed to prevent the kind of flooding that has hit Riverside in recent years.

– Mark D. Shevitz