The MWRD is partnering with the Village of South Holland to replace existing culverts along Thorn Ditch and construct stormwater storage at local parks. The project is funded through the MWRD’s Stormwater Partnership Program, which is now accepting applications.

Applications are open for municipalities and local government entities to partner with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) on a variety of stormwater management projects to mitigate community flooding throughout Cook County.

Following a near-record-breaking month of rainfall for April in the Chicago area, the MWRD invites communities and government entities across Cook County to pitch their project plans through four programs funded by the MWRD. More information can be found at mwrd.org/stormwater/partnerships.

“As we deal with the unpredictable effects of climate change, we want communities throughout Cook County to know that we are here and working to help reduce flooding through these stormwater management partnerships that help build resilience,” said MWRD President Kari K. Steele. “If your community has a project in mind, we want to hear from you.”

Each year, the MWRD accepts applications for a range of stormwater management projects that include local infrastructure upgrades, green infrastructure installations, technical assistance to investigate potential solutions to flooding, and a voluntary flood-prone property acquisition program that aids communities in purchasing properties that repeatedly flood. Since receiving local authority in 2014 to partner on local projects, the MWRD has invested $679 million toward nearly 300 stormwater management partnership projects that protect more than 23,000 homes, businesses and other buildings.

“Our range of MWRD stormwater management programs is sure to meet many community’s needs throughout Cook County,” said MWRD Commissioner Yumeka Brown, chair of the MWRD’s Stormwater Management Committee. “If your municipality or local government has projects in mind to address flooding, we can work together to find solutions.”

The MWRD Board of Commissioners on April 16 and May 21 recommended new projects to be funded through the Green Infrastructure Partnership Program, Stormwater Partnership Program and Technical Assistance Program. The projects were prioritized based on a variety of factors including the stormwater storage capacity, flooding prevalence and economic factors of the community. Eight green infrastructure projects were selected, representing nearly $5.8 million in construction costs that will improve community spaces and address stormwater management in Dolton, Forest Park, Maywood, Norridge, Northlake, River Forest Riverdale and Skokie.  

For the Stormwater Partnership Program, the MWRD is currently prioritizing its available funding on projects in the highest-scoring tiers (Categories 1 and 2). The prioritized partner agencies include Melrose Park, Northfield Township, Richton Park, South Holland, Maywood, Midlothian, Niles, and Skokie. Additionally, for the Technical Assistance Program, the MWRD identified projects in Brookfield, Hazel Crest and Schiller Park to develop engineering solutions and study local flooding issues.

Each partner identified for MWRD funding for Green Infrastructure and Stormwater Partnership projects will be required to complete negotiations on an intergovernmental agreement. Applicants whose projects were not identified for partnership will be provided with feedback on their unsuccessful application and encouraged to submit proposals for consideration in future partnership opportunities.