Removing Drain Tiles

Resaturating the Soil

Much of DuPage County soil was originally quite wet, so when farmers started turning the land into agricultural fields, many buried channels of clay drain tiles to carry the water away from their fields and pastures.

To date, the Forest Preserve District has removed drain tiles from thousands of acres of forest preserves, allowing the land to again hold water. This not only creates habitat for native plants and animals but also allows the forest preserves to offer valuable stormwater-storage benefits for local residents.