OPINION: Landowners Do Better Job than Illiana

Lake County Surveyor George Van Til claiming the proposed Illiana Expressway could solve drainage issues in South Lake County is ridiculous.

Van Til claims in Marc Chase’s May 22 article that reclassifying several private drains as public drains would be good. It has been my experience in south Lake County that private drains are much better maintained than most of the public drainage ways.

I have lobbied for some time to have the county address a major public drainage way between 173rd Avenue and Ind. 2. In my lifetime, (72 years) the county has not cleared trees or removed silt from the Eagle Creek/M.J. Brown Ditch, which eventually becomes Singleton Ditch. Three times the drainage way was maintained by adjacent landowners.

Ind. 2 has been closed three times in the last 10 years because of flooding at the Eagle Creek Bridge. One of those times, the water was 16 inches over the highway.

– John H. Bryant, Eagle Creek Township

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If you think you may be affected by the Illiana Expressway and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.