The new Washington Avenue/Forest Avenue pump station and storm water detention facility got its first real workout last weekend after more than two-and-a-half inches of rain fell on the Chicago area.

The pump station appeared to function as planned and streets were kept free of standing water, although the village did send out firefighters and police officers to the 3500, 3600 and 3700 block of Forest Avenue on April 30 after weather forecasts called for overnight rains and possible flood conditions.

Nearby, the Des Plaines River crested at just a touch above the 7-foot flood stage, inundating forested areas near the river. At times standing water slowed traffic at the railroad overpass on First Avenue. But Salt Creek didn’t prove much of a threat in Brookfield.

The village was to begin work to finish up the pump station project on May 1, but now that work might not be finished until sometime in June due to some issues with the grading of the above-ground storm water detention facility on the west side of the 3500 block of Forest Avenue.

During the winter months, about half of the graded slope on the west face of the detention pit and two-thirds of the slope of the south face eroded, requiring those slopes to be rebuilt.

Village Engineer Derek Treichel said he is in the process of working with the project contractor to come up with a solution for regrading the slopes and ensuring their stability. Part of the solution could be the placement of about two feet of stone at the base of the roughly 10-foot deep ridge and laying a plastic mesh material on the shoulder of the slope that can work with plant roots to stabilize the area.

The slopes of the pit and the rest of the lot will be covered with turf and surrounded by a 6-foot high decorative wrought-iron fence.

But work can’t get started until the area dries out from all of the recent rain, said Treichel, who said he expects to bring forward a repair plan for the village board to consider at the May 8 meeting. Repairs are estimated to cost between $40,000 and $50,000, said Treichel.

“We hope to start later in May, but it could get pushed into June,” Treichel said.

It ought to take one to two weeks to regrade the slopes and plant the turf. The permanent fence will go up when that work is complete.