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).

More rain is forecast Thursday and Friday, which could potentially overload the area’s network of reservoirs and tunnels storing flood water. The south suburbs are especially at risk.

Local leaders highlighted two new stormwater storage tanks Tuesday that they say will help reduce flooding in parts of the city's West Side.

The 'Deep Tunnel' takes stormwater and sewage from parts of the Chicago area and collects it in reservoirs for treatments, and it's the result of decades of work