The Kane County Department of Environmental and Water Resources is excited to present the first Floodplain Awareness Virtual Open House, with support from The Conservation Foundation! Flooding is the most common, most expensive natural disaster in the United States. Join us to learn more about what you can do to be more prepared! Check out the schedule and RSVP on the program webpage. 

This Educational Series is for both Kane County residents, and floodplain professionals.

The series will cover an introduction to the Floodplain, the common terms used and where it can flood (here’s a hint, anywhere it rains!). Learn about what regulations you need to know as a property owner in the Floodplain, what every resident should know about the protection they need from Flood Insurance, how to set up backyard rain barrels and rain gardens, and Stormwater Basin Management responsibilities for HOAs. Wetlands and their natural benefits will also be a series topic.

The workshop will also take you through the ins and outs of Elevation Certificates, and how to market floodplain properties accurately. You can also learn more about what can be done in constructing or retrofitting a building for wet and dry flood proofing.

Please join us, for one or all presentations, to learn much more about Floodplain Awareness in Kane County! Please reach out to WilfordAnne@co.kane.il.us or KleeIvy@co.kane.il.us with any questions. 

Health care providers, mental health professionals, school personnel and community members are invited to attend a free online symposium discussion on social connectedness presented by Kane Health Counts on Thursday, October 6th from noon to 1:30 p.m. Guest speakers Padraic Stanley and Dr. Marissa Happ will be discussing how social connections have a positive impact on health. 

The event will address the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) and the top health needs facing Kane County. The discussion will continue as our local experts highlight how human connection can improve health outcomes, and what we can do in our community to support these efforts. 

Kane Health Counts is a collaboration of public health partners striving to improve the health of Kane County. Partners include the five local hospitals: Ascension Mercy, Ascension Saint Joseph - Elgin, Northwestern Medicine/Delnor Hospital, Rush Copley Medical Center, Advocate Sherman Hospital, INC Mental Health Alliance, which serves the southern part of the county, and the Kane County Health Department. For more information about Kane Health Counts, please visit KaneHealthCounts.org. 

Register here to attend the online event. For more information about the symposium, contact Stacy Zeng, Kane County Health Department Community Health Planner at zengstacy@co.kane.il.us. 

Kane County Elementary and Middle Schools are invited to participate in the 2022 Walk to School Day activities. Fit for Kids will provide $150 to each parent-teacher organization or school that participates!  

Walk Bike & Roll to School Day is October 12, 2022!

Whether addressing the need to make walking and biking safer for children and youth or encouraging them to be more active, events can be a powerful tool to start, grow and sustain change. Events can celebrate good things, put a light on neglected issues, galvanize community support, or even start advocacy. They can be particularly good at helping all stakeholders to come together and experience what is working, what isn’t, and how to collaborate to fix what is broken. You’ll find more tips for a successful event at: www.walkbiketoschool.org. 

To download a registration form, visit the Making Kane County Fit for Kids event page. 

Kane County and its consultant have begun work on an update to the Kane County Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan. The goal of the project is to develop a connected, county-wide network of walking and bicycling trails and facilities. The County will use this plan to pursue grants and implement projects on the Kane County highway system, and work to connect to networks maintained by municipalities and other agency partners. One outcome of the plan will be to develop a mapping tool that shows the status of trails and projects during the planning and implementation stages, and develop a working list of funding sources that are used to fund design and construction.

Meetings with area municipalities, agencies, and additional engagement events are planned throughout the project into the summer of 2023.

Contribute your thoughts to the Kane County Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan update by taking this survey. To learn more about the project, visit www.kanecountybikeplan.com.

The Deicing Workshops are hosted by the Salt Smart Collaborative, DuPage River Salt Creek Workgroup, Lower Des Plaines Watershed Group, Lower DuPage River Watershed Coalition, The Conservation Foundation, Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center, Lake County Division of Transportation, Lake County Stormwater Management Commission and the County of DuPage.

The workshop webinar aims to help personnel from municipalities and public works facilities to implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce the amount of salt they use in snow fighting operations and to address National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit Requirements. Certificates of Attendance will be provided upon request.

Kane County is a Co-Sponsor of the Deicing workshops, and required to provide free deicing and sensible salting training to staff for the KC MS4 NPDES permit. 

See workshop schedule and registration dates and links below:

For more information, FAQs and registration links, please visit https://saltsmart.org/workshops/. If you are Kane County staff interested in viewing the workshop, please contact KleeIvy@co.kane.il.us.