WHO: The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Board of Commissioners, President Kari K. Steele, Vice President Patricia Theresa Flynn, and Chairman of Finance Marcelino Garcia and staff, Lyons Township officials, including Township Supervisor Christopher Getty, Lyons Township Assessor Patrick Hynes, Lyons Township Clerk Elyse Hoffenberg, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (IL-06), local mayors and leaders

WHAT: Lyons Township officials, elected officials and municipal leaders will gather for a lunch and learn series focusing on current MWRD work designed to build resilience and protect the area water environment for more than 112,000 people living in the township.

WHERE: Township of Lyons Community Room, 6404 Joliet Rd., Countryside, Ill.

WHEN: Monday, February 26, at 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Leadership with the MWRD, including the Board of Commissioners, will provide Rep. Casten, Lyons Township officials and local leaders with an overview about the MWRD’s roles and responsibilities and cover the latest MWRD initiatives to mitigate flooding. Entitled “Charting 135 Years of Environmental Transformation,” MWRD officials will present a history of their work and ongoing initiatives. The event will cover the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP), stormwater management projects that the MWRD has funded to mitigate area flooding, the Stickney Community Partnership Council, Watershed Management Ordinance and additional MWRD programs.

In less than a decade since receiving authority to work on local stormwater management projects, the MWRD has invested in 23 stormwater management projects in Lyons Township. These projects that are either completed or in various stages of development/construction represent a total investment of more than $38.3 million and will benefit an estimated 696 homes, businesses and structures throughout Lyons Township communities.

About Lyons Township

Lyons Township is one of 30 townships in Cook County, IL. As of the 2021 census, its population was 112,732. Lyons Township was established in 1849 and is comprised of eighteen municipalities that include Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Brookfield, Burr Ridge, Countryside, Hickory Hills, Hinsdale, Hodgkins, Indian Head Park, Justice, La Grange, La Grange Highlands, Lyons, McCook, Riverside, Summit, Western Springs and Willow Springs. 

About the MWRD

The MWRD treats an average of 1.2 billion gallons of wastewater each day and transforms it into clean water to protect area waterways and the source of drinking water in Lake Michigan. As the authority on stormwater management for Cook County, the MWRD continues to work diligently towards flood mitigation by coordinating, planning, implementing, financing, and operating regional stormwater management projects and developing and enforcing responsible rules with respect to watershed development.