Lake County Gazette

Buffalo Grove Public Works has been recognized with an American Public Works Association (APWA) Chicago Metro Lake Branch award for Project of the Year in the Emergency/Disaster Category. This accolade was given following the successful resolution of a significant sewer issue that occurred last March.

In March 2023, according to a Village of Buffalo Grove Facebook post, employees from Buffalo Grove Public Works were called to address what was initially thought to be a simple backed-up sewer on Old Buffalo Grove. However, it turned out to be a more severe problem: a structural failure of a connecting sewer line serving thousands of residents.

The Village of Buffalo Grove collaborated with several partners and communities to resolve this issue. These included the Village of Arlington Heights, The Village of Wheeling, Cook County Division of Transportation, Berger Excavating, and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. As per another post on the Village of Buffalo Grove's Facebook page, the problem was permanently repaired within 12 days.

"This was one of the largest single emergency repairs that we had to gather equipment and resources for," said Michael Skibbe, deputy village manager and director of Public Works in yet another post on the Village's Facebook page.