The DuPage River is a tributary of the Des Plaines River in the U.S. state of Illinois.

Course

The river begins as two individual streams. The West Branch of the DuPage River, long, within Cook County and continues southward through the entire county of DuPage, including the towns of Bartlett, Wayne, West Chicago, Wheaton, Warrenville, Winfield and Naperville (including through its riverwalk), as well as McDowell Grove. The East Branch of the DuPage River, long, From Channahon, the river finally meets the Des Plaines River.

Flooding

Like many local bodies of water, both branches of the DuPage River seriously overflowed after the "Flood of 1996", when approximately of rain fell on the area within a 24-hour period, on July 17–18 of that year. Other flooding was also very common, along Washington Street in Naperville and Illinois Route 53 in Glen Ellyn, because those roads are close to their respective branches of the river, and along the river in Plainfield. The City of Naperville has torn down many of the affected homes and businesses, in the former case, and DuPage County, with U.S. Department of Transportation funding, tore down many of the affected homes in the latter case.

On the 1825 Henry S. Tanner map of Illinois and Missouri, Du Page River is listed as the "Du Page or Saukeyuck River".

See also

  • List of rivers of Illinois

References

  • DuPage River Coalition, from The Conservation Foundation
  • Flood-inundation Maps for the Dupage River from Plainfield to Shorewood, Illinois United States Geological Survey
  • West Branch Watershed Map
  • East Branch Watershed Map