The MWRD partnered with the City of Chicago to fund the construction of $12 million in underground stormwater storage facilities designed to help mitigate flooding for West Side residents and build capacity for local sewers to capture rainfall during intense storms.

Thornton Reservoir nearly full after heavy storms over weekend

The Thornton Reservoir, which serves many surrounding south suburbs, is nearing capacity after storms swept through the area this past weekend. FOX Chicago’s Joanie Lum has the latest on its condition.

This weekend’s heavy rainfall in the Chicago area has helped to fuel record amounts of stormwater being stored in Cook County’s reservoirs, nearly 20,000 Olympic-size swimming pools’ worth.

A soggy start to summer with near-record rainfall has left Chicago’s Deep Tunnel stormwater retention system almost full.
The Deep Tunnel, which was constructed over the course of more than five decades, is a system of underground tunnels and reservoirs that captures and stores stormwater and sewage that could otherwise overflow into waterways.

The Thornton and McCook reservoirs, designed to hold billions of gallons of rainwater, are nearly full.
As of Monday, July 6, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) had stored over 13 billion gallons of stormwater in its deep tunnels and reservoirs following severe weekend storms that dumped 3.77 inches of rain on the Calumet Water Reclamation Plant alone.