The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) expects to have two projects totaling $5 million to address odor mitigation near its Thornton Reservoir completed by the end of December 2026, bringing total mitigation efforts over the past decade to $8.6 million, according to officials.

Video: Inside the command center of the MWRD, it has been all hands on deck. Between July 2 and July 4, about 8-10 inches of rain fell over 48 hours, creating a precarious situation at two of the district’s large deep tunnel reservoirs.

MWRD Executive Director John Murray joins WTTW to discuss how 13 billion gallons of combined storm and waste water flowed into two Cook County reservoirs this past weekend as part of the region’s network of stormwater management infrastructure.

Public comment period is open for MWRD’s draft 2026–2030 Strategic Plan; deadline is July 24

The Thornton Reservoir is nearly full.

A $12 million pilot project is underway on the city’s West Side that will store excess stormwater underground, in order to help reduce flooding, protect more than 2,900 properties and strengthen climate resilience in the area.
Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the project, called Wing Storage, and toured a West Side installation site Tuesday, along with the Department of Water Management (DWM), the Metropolitan Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) and Ald. Emma Mitts (37th Ward).