Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills property owners dealing with persistent flooding have a new funding option on the table.

DuPage County's Stormwater Management Committee voted Tuesday, Oct. 6, to open applications for its Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP) grants, according to a county announcement. The program reimburses up to 25% of eligible construction costs for projects that improve local waterways. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, 2027.

The grant comes as both villages are spending tens of thousands of dollars to study their own drainage problems. Hinsdale trustees approved a $34,450 engineering study Wednesday, Oct. 7, to examine flooding near Garfield Avenue and 56th Street. In August, Clarendon Hills committed $25,000 to a drainage study of the area north of Chicago Avenue after residents along Middaugh Road blamed the neighboring Hinsdale Golf Club for repeated flooding.

"There's a lot of standing water, and of course, this summer's storms have only made this problem stand out more," Hinsdale Trustee Neale Byrnes said at the Oct. 7 board meeting.

If either village's studies lead to construction projects, the WQIP grant could offset a share of the cost.

How the grant works

The program, now in its 28th year, has awarded roughly $7.2 million to 125 projects across DuPage County since 2000. Past recipients have built permeable paver parking lots, green roofs and native vegetation installations. The county distributes about $300,000 annually. In 2026, five projects split $265,861, according to the county's stormwater management website.

No local projects were funded in 2026.

Jim Zay, chairman of the Stormwater Management Committee, said in a statement that the program is central to the county's environmental goals, calling the protection and restoration of local rivers and streams "fundamental to the long-term health of DuPage County."

There is no minimum project size, but the committee gives highest consideration to projects with a regional water quality benefit. Only construction costs qualify for reimbursement. Work done before the county approves funding is not eligible, and projects required as part of a development permit cannot apply.

Local stormwater context

Whether either Hinsdale or Clarendon Hills has applied for the grant in prior years is not clear from public records.

Stormwater is a live issue in both communities. Clarendon Hills Public Works Director Brendan McLaughlin described the flooding near Middaugh Road in August as regional, saying water flows from the train tracks through Prospect Park and across the golf course before reaching Route 83 and Hinsdale.

Applications are available through the DuPage County Stormwater Management website.