Tunnel and Reservoir Plan

Last updated
Aerial view of Phase II of the McCook Reservoir under construction in 2023 Aerial view of McCook Reservoir Phase II construction, September 2023.JPG
Aerial view of Phase II of the McCook Reservoir under construction in 2023

The Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (abbreviated TARP and more commonly known as the Deep Tunnel Project or the Chicago Deep Tunnel) is a large civil engineering project that aims to reduce flooding in the metropolitan Chicago area, and to reduce the harmful effects of flushing raw sewage into Lake Michigan by diverting storm water and sewage into temporary holding reservoirs. The megaproject is one of the largest civil engineering projects ever undertaken in terms of scope, cost and timeframe. Commissioned in the mid-1970s, the project is managed by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Completion of the system is not anticipated until 2029, [1] but substantial portions of the system have already opened and are currently operational. Across 30 years of construction, over $3 billion has been spent on the project. [2]

Contents

History

19th century

The Deep Tunnel Project is the latest in a series of civil engineering projects dating back to 1834. Many of the problems experienced by the city of Chicago are directly related to its low level topography and the fact that the city is largely built upon marsh or wet prairie. This combined with a temperate wet climate and the human development of open land, leads to substantial water runoff. Lake Michigan was ineffective in carrying sewage away from the city, and in the event of a rainstorm, the water pumps that provided drinking water to Chicagoans became contaminated with sewage. Though no epidemics were caused by this system (see Chicago 1885 cholera epidemic myth), it soon became clear that the sewage system needed to be diverted to flow away from Lake Michigan in order to handle an increasing population's sanitation needs. [ dubious discuss ]

Between 1864 and 1867, under the leadership of Ellis S. Chesbrough, the city built the two-mile Chicago lake tunnel to a new water intake location farther from the shore. Crews began from the intake location and the shore, tunneling in two shifts a day. Clay and earth were drawn away by mule-drawn railcars. Masons lined the five-foot-diameter tunnel with two layers of brick. The lake and shore crews met in November 1866, less than seven inches out of alignment. A second tunnel was added in 1874. [3]

In 1871, the deepening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal was completed to reverse the flow of the Chicago River to drain diluted sewage southwest away from Lake Michigan. However, the canal only had the capacity to drain to the Des Plaines River during dry weather; during heavy rains, the Des Plaines would flood and overflow into the canal, reversing its flow back into the lake. [4] In 1900, to improve general health standards, the flow of the main branch of the Chicago River was permanently reversed with the construction of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. This further improved the sanitation of Lake Michigan and helped to prevent further waterborne epidemic scares.

20th century

The construction of the Sanitary and Ship Canal (1892–1900), enlargements to the North Shore Channel (1907–1910), the construction of the Cal-Sag Channel (1911–1922), and the construction of locks at the mouth of the Chicago River (1933–1938) brought further improvements to the sanitary issues of the time. These projects blocked further amounts of sewage from draining into Lake Michigan. The projects also brought fresh lake water to inland waterways to further dilute sewage that was already in the waterways.

Surrounding farmland also engaged in flood control projects. The Illinois Farm Drainage Act of 1879 established drainage districts. These districts were generally named for the basin they drained—for example, the Fox River Drainage District. After World War II, suburban communities began to realize the benefits of separating stormwater from sewage water and began to construct separate sewer and storm drainage lines. The primary benefit of wastestream separation is that storm water requires less treatment than sewage before being returned to the environment.

Flood damage grew markedly after 1938, when surrounding natural drainage areas were lost to development and human activity. Serious flooding has occurred in the Chicago metropolitan area in 1849, 1855, 1885, 1938, 1952, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1973, 1979, 1986, 1987, 1996, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2022, 2023 — but most record-setting crests occurred after 1948.

In the 1960s, the concept of Deep Tunnel was studied and recommended as a solution to continuing flooding issues.

Status

Phase 1, the creation of 109.4 miles (176.1 km) of drainage tunnels ranging from 9 to 33 feet (2.7 to 10.1 m) in diameter, up to 350 feet (110 m) underground, was adopted in 1972, commenced in 1975, and completed and operational by 2006. Phase 2, creation of reservoirs primarily intended for flood control, remains underway with an expected completion date of 2029. Currently, up to 2.3 billion US gallons (8.7 gigalitres) of sewage can be stored and held in the tunnels themselves while awaiting processing at sewage treatment plants, which release treated water into the Calumet and Des Plaines rivers. [5]

Additional sewage is stored at the 7.9-billion-US-gallon (30-gigalitre) Thornton Composite Reservoir, and the 350-million-US-gallon (1,300-megalitre) Gloria Alitto Majewski Reservoir near O'Hare International Airport. The 3.5-billion-US-gallon (13 GL) McCook Reservoir was completed in 2017 and will be expanded to 10  billion US gallons (38  GL ) by 2029. [6] [7] Because the reservoirs are decommissioned quarries, construction has been delayed by decreased demand for the quarried gravel. Upon completion, the TARP system will have a storage capacity of 17.5 billion US gallons (66 GL).

Reservoirs

NameLocationCoordinatesMaximum Capacity
(gallons)
StatusNotes
Gloria Alitto Majewski Reservoir Elk Grove Village, IL 42°01′03″N87°56′42″W / 42.01750°N 87.94500°W / 42.01750; -87.94500 (Gloria Alitto Majewski Reservoir) 350,000,000Completed in 1998. [8]
McCook Reservoir McCook, IL 41°46′22″N87°50′24″W / 41.77278°N 87.84000°W / 41.77278; -87.84000 (McCook Reservoir) 3,500,000,000First phase completed in 2017. [9] Second phase will expand the reservoir's capacity to 10 billion gallons by 2029.
Thornton Composite Reservoir Thornton, IL 41°34′55″N87°37′05″W / 41.58194°N 87.61806°W / 41.58194; -87.61806 (Thornton Composite Reservoir) 7,900,000,000Completed in 2015.Formerly part of Thornton Quarry.

Effects

Severe weather events have forced water management agencies to pump excess wastewater into the lake and river in order to prevent flooding. These incidents have decreased in frequency as more of the Deep Tunnel system has become operational. Long considered an open sewer, the Chicago River now hosts more than 60 fish species and increased wildlife along its shores. Substantial development is occurring along many portions of the riverfront. Canoeing is once again allowed on the waterway, but swimming is still prohibited due to high pollution levels.

On October 3, 1986, a heavy thunderstorm drenched the southern portion of the Deep Tunnel area with several inches of rain in a short period of time. While the Deep Tunnel system performed satisfactorily by absorbing excess water, water within the system itself rushed past the north side of Chicago and near the Bahá'í Temple in Wilmette. Geysers of over 65 feet (20 m) were reported in both locations for up to an hour as the water was redistributed more evenly through the system. A 30 feet (9 m) geyser erupted downtown at the corner of Jefferson and Monroe, trapping a woman inside her car as it filled with water. [10] A system of watertight bulkheads has since been installed to prevent the event from occurring again.

During the Chicago Flood of 1992, the water from the Chicago River that leaked into the long-disused underground freight tunnel system was eventually drained into the Deep Tunnel network, which itself was still under construction.[ citation needed ]

Since the tunnels became operational, combined sewer overflows have been reduced from an average of 100 days per year to 50. Since Thornton Reservoir came online in 2015 combined sewer overflows have been nearly eliminated. [11]

Sources

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calumet River</span> System of rivers and canals in Illinois and Indiana, United States

The Calumet River is a system of heavily industrialized rivers and canals in the region between the south side of Chicago, Illinois, and the city of Gary, Indiana. Historically, the Little Calumet River and the Grand Calumet River were one, the former flowing west from Indiana into Illinois, then turning back east to its mouth at Lake Michigan at Marquette Park in Gary. Now the system is part of the Chicago Area Waterway System and through the use of locks flows away from Lake Michigan to the Cal-Sag Channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Storm drain</span> Infrastructure for draining excess rain and ground water from impervious surfaces

A storm drain, storm sewer, highway drain, surface water drain/sewer, or stormwater drain is infrastructure designed to drain excess rain and ground water from impervious surfaces such as paved streets, car parks, parking lots, footpaths, sidewalks, and roofs. Storm drains vary in design from small residential dry wells to large municipal systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London sewer system</span> English infrastructure system

The London sewer system is part of the water infrastructure serving London, England. The modern system was developed during the late 19th century, and as London has grown the system has been expanded. It is currently owned and operated by Thames Water and serves almost all of Greater London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massachusetts Water Resources Authority</span> American state public authority

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) is a public authority in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that provides wholesale drinking water and sewage services to 3.1 million people in sixty-one municipalities and more than 5,500 large industrial users in the eastern and central parts of the state, primarily in the Boston area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pumping station</span> Facilities including pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another

Pumping stations, also called pumphouses, are public utility buildings containing pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are critical in a variety of infrastructure systems, such as water supply, drainage of low-lying land, canals and removal of sewage to processing sites. A pumping station is an integral part of a pumped-storage hydroelectricity installation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal</span> Canal system connecting the Chicago and Des Plaines rivers in Illinois

The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, historically known as the Chicago Drainage Canal, is a 28-mile-long (45 km) canal system that connects the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River. It reverses the direction of the Main Stem and the South Branch of the Chicago River, which now flows out of Lake Michigan rather than into it. The related Calumet-Saganashkee Channel does the same for the Calumet River a short distance to the south, joining the Chicago canal about halfway along its route to the Des Plaines. The two provide the only navigation for ships between the Great Lakes Waterway and the Mississippi River system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Des Plaines River</span> Tributary of the Illinois River

The Des Plaines River is a river that flows southward for 133 miles (214 km) through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the United States Midwest, eventually meeting the Kankakee River west of Channahon to form the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District</span>

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) is a regional government agency that provides water reclamation and flood management services for about 1.1 million people in 28 communities in the Greater Milwaukee Area. A recipient of the U.S. Water Prize and many other awards, the District has a record of 98.4 percent, since 1994, for capturing and cleaning wastewater from 28 communities in a 411-square-mile (1,060 km2) area. The national goal is 85 percent of all the rain and wastewater that enters their sewer systems.

Water supply and sanitation in Singapore are intricately linked to the historical development of Singapore. It is characterised by a number of outstanding achievements in a challenging environment with geographical limitations. Access to water in Singapore is universal, affordable, efficient and of high quality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klamath Project</span> Water-management project in the U.S. states of California and Oregon

The Klamath Project is a water-management project developed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation to supply farmers with irrigation water and farmland in the Klamath Basin. The project also supplies water to the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. The project was one of the first to be developed by the Reclamation Service, which later became the Bureau of Reclamation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combined sewer</span> Sewage collection system of pipes and tunnels designed to also collect surface runoff

A combined sewer is a type of gravity sewer with a system of pipes, tunnels, pump stations etc. to transport sewage and urban runoff together to a sewage treatment plant or disposal site. This means that during rain events, the sewage gets diluted, resulting in higher flowrates at the treatment site. Uncontaminated stormwater simply dilutes sewage, but runoff may dissolve or suspend virtually anything it contacts on roofs, streets, and storage yards. As rainfall travels over roofs and the ground, it may pick up various contaminants including soil particles and other sediment, heavy metals, organic compounds, animal waste, and oil and grease. Combined sewers may also receive dry weather drainage from landscape irrigation, construction dewatering, and washing buildings and sidewalks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornton Quarry</span> Aggregate quarry located in Thornton, Illinois

Thornton Quarry is one of the largest aggregate quarries in the world, located in Thornton, Illinois just south of Chicago. The quarry is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) wide, and 450 feet (140 m) deep at its deepest point. Gallagher Asphalt Corporation has been operating on the grounds of the quarry since 1928. A dryland dike carries Interstate 80/Interstate 294/Tri-State Tollway over the quarry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago</span> Special-purpose district in Chicago, IL, USA

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD), originally known as the Sanitary District of Chicago, is a special-purpose district chartered to operate in Cook County, Illinois since 1889. Although its name may imply otherwise, it is not a part of the City of Chicago's local government but is created by Illinois state government with an elected Board of Commissioners. The MWRD's main purposes are the reclamation and treatment of wastewater and flood water abatement in Cook County to protect the health and safety of citizens and of area waterways. In 1900, the District notably reversed the flow of the Chicago River, and it is currently involved in the large multi-decade construction of the "Deep Tunnel," Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Shore Channel</span> Drainage canal in Illinois, US

The North Shore Channel is a drainage canal built between 1907 and 1910 to flush the sewage-filled North Branch of the Chicago River down the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The sewage carrying duty has been largely taken over by the Chicago Deep Tunnel, but there are still occasional discharges due to heavy rains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cal-Sag Channel</span> Canal in Cook County, Illinois, US

The Calumet-Saganashkee Channel, usually shortened to the Cal-Sag Channel, is a 16-mile-long (26 km) drainage and shipping canal in southern Cook County, Illinois, operated by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD). A component of the Chicago Area Waterway System, it connects the Little Calumet River at its eastern end to the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at its western end.

PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency, commonly known as PUB, an acronym for Public Utilities Board, is a statutory board under the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment of the Government of Singapore responsible for ensuring a sustainable and efficient water supply in Singapore.

The Central Utah Project is a US federal water project that was authorized for construction under the Colorado River Storage Project Act of April 11, 1956, as a participating project. In general, the Central Utah Project develops a portion of Utah's share of the yield of the Colorado River, as set out in the Colorado River Compact of 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellis S. Chesbrough</span>

Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough (1813–1886) was an engineer credited with the design of the Chicago sewer system, which are sometimes known as the 'Chesbrough sewers'. This was the first comprehensive sewer system in the United States. He is responsible for the plan to raise Chicago, construction of the first water crib in Chicago, and designing the Boston water distribution system. The water system he designed for Chicago is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated a Historical Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Ever since Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837, it has faced multiple issues concerning water quality to accommodate its growing size, driven by the city's ideal geography and accessibility to one of the largest bodies of fresh water, the Great Lakes. The City of Chicago has implemented multiple proposals and plans such as the Master Drainage Plan and Tunnel and Reservoir Plan to combat the increasing water quality issue and move in a more environmentally friendly direction. These plans will construct spillways to temporarily store overfilling sewage or stormwater and clean it before releasing it. However, it wasn't until 2015 that Chicago began to treat sewage and stormwater runoff, thus finally shedding its title as the last major city not to treat its sewage before being discharged into its waterways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility</span> United States historic place

The Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility is a wastewater treatment plant located on Jones Island along the Lake Michigan shore in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1974.

References

  1. Lydersen, Kari (2011-05-17). "Chicago River on National Endangered List". Chicago News Cooperative. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  2. Sanders, Steve (2005-10-10). "WGN-TV CoverStories: Deep Tunnel". WGN-TV. Archived from the original on 2005-11-05. Retrieved 2005-12-23.
  3. Chicago Department of Public Works. Chicago Public Works: A History. 1973.
  4. Capano, Daniel E. "Chicago's War With Water: On its way to pioneering our modern sewer system, Chicago survived epidemics, floods, and countless bad plans". www.inventionandtech.com. American Heritage's Invention & Technology. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  5. "TARP at 50: How one of the world's largest public works projects for water has protected the Chicago region" (PDF). Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  6. Hawthorne, Michael (December 4, 2017). "McCook Reservoir to open soon, holding sewage and runoff until storms pass". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2018-11-30. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  7. "McCook Reservoir to Greatly Boost Flood Storage Capacity". Tunnel Business Magazine. January 1, 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-11-30. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  8. "Massive New Reservoir To Help Alleviate Chicago Area Flooding". CBS Chicago. 1 September 2015. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  9. Meincke, Paul (4 December 2017). "McCook Reservoir opens, seeks to alleviate flooding". ABC Chicago. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  10. Karwath, Rob (1986-10-17). "Tunnel's Geyser Effect Still Puzzling". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2018-08-04. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
  11. "TARP Fact Sheet" (PDF). Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. n.d. Retrieved 22 March 2023.