The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and Forest Preserves of Cook dinner County are partnering in a flood reduction research within the southeast suburbs that would deliver a brand new reservoir.
The 2 businesses introduced a 20-month research to evaluate the potential for the district and forest preserves coordinating and sharing prices for the planning, design, development and upkeep of a Deer Creek-Third Creek Reservoir.
If possible, the system would offer naturalized stormwater storage for flood-prone communities in Glenwood, Ford Heights, Lansing, Thornton, South Holland, Calumet Metropolis, Dolton and unincorporated areas.
The proposed mission may cowl almost a sq. mile space alongside Deer Creek and Third Creek inside the Little Calumet River Watershed close to Glenwood and Ford Heights, the place stormwater storage may help mitigate growing flooding issues, in keeping with the MWRD and forest protect district.
The reservoir could be positioned roughly close to Cottage Grove Avenue between Glenwood Dyer Highway and Lincoln Freeway inside the Deer Creek Watershed in Cook dinner County, in keeping with the MWRD, however most of the specifics might be researched in the course of the research.
The district mentioned the reservoir won’t be a single water-holding construction however may embrace adjoining wetlands, creeks, ponds and lakes.
The MWRD mentioned new rainfall knowledge printed by the Illinois State Water Survey in 2020 reveals raised flood elevations alongside the Little Calumet River in South Holland, Dolton, Calumet Metropolis and Lansing.
Flood waters from Deer Creek and Third Creek movement into Thorn Creek earlier than reaching the Little Calumet River.
Proposed channel enhancements alongside Deer Creek would direct flood water into new flood storage areas adjoining to the creeks. The brand new stormwater conveyance and storage enhancements would give the area extra room to accommodate growing stormwater calls for, in keeping with the MWRD and forest preserves district.
The land within the mission may probably be bigger than one sq. mile, which might accommodate greater than 500 million gallons of naturalized stormwater storage, in keeping with the businesses.
In planning stormwater initiatives, the MWRD has mentioned it appears to be like on the elevated frequency of main storm occasions within the Chicago space, together with one-day and multiday storms that may overwhelm sewer programs in older communities.
In some suburbs, mixed sewer programs carrying each sanitary and storm water result in a mixture of backups of sewage and rainwater.
As a part of its Tunnel and Reservoir Plan, additionally known as Deep Tunnel, the MWRD constructed the Thornton Reservoir on the north aspect of Interstates 80/94 in South Holland. It was designed to divert each sanitary and stormwater movement from Chicago’s South Aspect and south suburbs and has a capability of slightly below 8 billion gallons.
In September 2022, the district accomplished work on the Thorn Creek overflow tunnel that diverts stormwater from the creek into the reservoir.
Together with the Thornton reservoir, the MWRD operates smaller reservoirs in Ford Heights, Hazel Crest, Lynwood, Markham and Tinley Park which have a mixed capability of slightly below 1 billion gallons and deal with stormwater runoff from the Little Calumet River watershed.
The proposed Deer Creek-Third Creek Reservoir has already obtained grant funding help by means of the American Rescue Plan Act, the federal authorities’s COVID-19 help program, and the Federal Emergency Administration Company, in keeping with the MWRD.
The dedicated price range for the 20-month feasibility research is $1.7 million, excluding development prices, in keeping with the district.
Between the resecue plan funds and FEMA, greater than $1.2 million has been obligated to fund preliminary work, together with the research, in keeping with the district.
The MWRD pays for the remaining prices of the feasibility research, however the general estimated price of the mission has not but been decided.
The MWRD and forest protect district mentioned they’ll proceed to pursue extra funding help for future phases of the mission.
As soon as the feasibility research concludes within the fall of 2026, neighborhood conferences might be held to collect public enter, in keeping with the MWRD and forest protect district.
In June 2023, the MWRD approved a negotiation of an intergovernmental settlement with the Forest Preserves to check flood management within the southeast suburbs.
The settlement, formalized this previous Might, requires the MWRD to pay for idea planning and preliminary engineering design whereas the Forest Preserves pays for buying property.
