Members of the Illinois General Assembly accompanied Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) leadership on a tour of several vital facilities that protect public health and the environment.

On Oct. 7, Assistant Majority Leader Sen. Laura Murphy (28th), Majority Caucus Whip Sen. Cristina Castro (22nd), House Minority Leader Rep. Tony McCombie (89th), Rep. La Shawn Ford (8th), Rep. Yolonda Morris (9th), Rep. Rick Ryan (36th), Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl (57th), Rep. Jeff Keicher (70th), Rep. Dave Severin (116th), Eric Angerer, a representative of Rep. Nicole La Ha (82nd), Paul Kendrick, and Cook County Commissioner Bridget Degnen (12th) joined MWRD President Kari K. Steele, Vice President Patricia Theresa Flynn, Commissioners Beth McElroy Kirkwood, Yumeka Brown and Sharon Waller, and MWRD Executive Director John Murray for visits to the MWRD Stickney Water Reclamation Plant, the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) Mainstream Pumping Station and the McCook Reservoir.

MWRD employees provided the lawmakers and their staff with detailed explanations of how the agency treats wastewater, manages stormwater and protects the region’s water environment while providing essential services to Cook County.

“The work we do at the MWRD reaches far beyond the walls of our facilities,” said MWRD President Kari K. Steele. “By welcoming members of the General Assembly to see these operations firsthand, we can strengthen our shared understanding of the challenges facing the water environment and the investments needed to protect Illinois communities for generations to come.”

The latest in a series of tours offered by the MWRD began at the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant, where the group observed the wastewater treatment process. The next stop featured an underground visit to the TARP Mainstream Pumping Station in Hodgkins before the tour concluded at the McCook Reservoir in Bedford Park.

“Today’s tour was a valuable opportunity to see the MWRD’s work through the eyes of our state partners,” said Commissioner Brown. “The infrastructure we manage is essential to protecting public health, managing stormwater and safeguarding our waterways, and it takes continued collaboration at every level of government to keep these systems strong.”

At McCook, the group viewed a reservoir and its adjoining tunnels holding more than 3 billion gallons of water that previously would have inundated local waterways and communities. They also toured the progress of excavation for the reservoir’s expansion, which will add 6.5 billion gallons of capacity. Once complete, the McCook Reservoir will provide 10 billion gallons of capacity after the MWRD removes more than 220 billion pounds of rock from the hole that stretches across a three-mile perimeter, making it the largest reservoir of its kind in the world.

The McCook Reservoir serves central Chicago and 36 municipalities as part of the Des Plaines and Mainstream Tunnel Systems, which together serve a 258-square-mile area.

The MWRD also offers tours of its facilities to educate the public about wastewater treatment, stormwater management and the MWRD’s work to protect the region’s environment. For more information, visit mwrd.org/education/tours.