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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

Recovering Resources, Transforming Water

Strategic Plan

Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) Reservoir Levels

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The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago's Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP)  is designed to reduce flooding, improve water quality in Chicago area waterways and protect Lake Michigan from pollution caused by sewer overflows. 

Street flooding and basement backups can still occur even when there is plenty of room in TARP. If small neighborhood sewers don’t have the capacity to carry water to the MWRD’s intercepting sewers or TARP tunnels, they may back up.  

If TARP is full, neighborhood sewers are designed to overflow to waterways.  

Learn more about the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan

Tow engineers discussing project plants with detailed documents on the wall

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Recent News Releases

May 11, 2026

Guests of all ages may take an abbreviated tour of the plant, meet with MWRD staff for interactive activities and take home free oak tree saplings, milkweed and native wildflower seeds.

May 8, 2026

The improvements, including a ramp, a retaining wall and a few braille signs, allowed dozens of area residents to access the park for the first time.

May 8, 2026

The SEPA station aerates water to support aquatic life and enhances water quality in the Calumet-Sag Channel, while offering a scenic gathering place along the waterway.

May 5, 2026

Board meetings are open to the public and can be streamed online.

Projects

The MWRD's Harvey Central Park Stormwater Detention Basin project will provide flood relief for the city of Harvey. This project will reduce flooding to approximately 209 homes during a 100-year storm event.

The 600-acre-foot Addison Creek Reservoir will hold 195 million gallons of storage capacity and connect with the Addison Creek Channel to protect the communities from overbank flooding.

The MWRD’s Robbins Heritage Park and Midlothian Creek Restoration Project will help address overbank flooding through a new stormwater park and pond, along with improvements to Midlothian Creek and an overflow channel that connects to the Cal-Sag Channel.

The MWRD worked with the village of Mount Prospect to transform two beautiful park spaces that can now accommodate more stormwater and protect the community from flooding, while also giving the residents a place to gather and play.

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