Members of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago’s (MWRD) Calumet Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) Community Partnership Council (CPC) met for the first time during the MWRD’s 10th Annual Sustainability Summit held at the Ford Calumet Environmental Center on Oct. 21.

The Council is a new initiative stemming from the MWRD’s 2021-2025 Strategic Plan to engage with communities surrounding MWRD WRPs and expand partnership opportunities. The goal of the Calumet CPC is to serve as a conduit between the Calumet WRP and its neighboring community; to position the MWRD as a critical community asset; and to ensure that the MWRD is a responsive neighbor and inclusive partner.

“It was wonderful meeting the members of the Calumet Partnership Council at the MWRD’s Sustainability Summit,” said MWRD President Kari K. Steele. “We look forward to having productive conversations that will ultimately have a positive impact on our work.”

The MWRD plans to establish Community Partnership Councils for each of its seven service areas where MWRD water reclamation plants are located. The new endeavor places an emphasis on community engagement.

MWRD Commissioners Kimberly Du Buclet, Mariyana Spyropoulos and Eira L. Corral Sepúlveda also joined in the conversations and welcomed participants to the annual event.

“Since this is the first time the MWRD has engaged in this type of ongoing community engagement, it will be exciting to see how we are perceived from an external point of view. Hopefully, we will all benefit from this undertaking and in return, members derive benefit for their respective neighborhoods and communities,” said Commissioner Corral Sepúlveda.

The group is set to tackle flooding concerns as one of its first conversations. By having an understanding of areas that are impacted repeatedly during rain events but have not been addressed, the MWRD may pursue projects, partnerships or initiatives that may be able to alleviate flooding.

Calumet Comm Partnership Council_110322.pdf