The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) expects to have two projects totaling $5 million to address odor mitigation near its Thornton Reservoir completed by the end of December 2026, bringing total mitigation efforts over the past decade to $8.6 million, according to officials.

Video: Inside the command center of the MWRD, it has been all hands on deck. Between July 2 and July 4, about 8-10 inches of rain fell over 48 hours, creating a precarious situation at two of the district’s large deep tunnel reservoirs.

MWRD Executive Director John Murray joins WTTW to discuss how 13 billion gallons of combined storm and waste water flowed into two Cook County reservoirs this past weekend as part of the region’s network of stormwater management infrastructure.

Public comment period is open for MWRD’s draft 2026–2030 Strategic Plan; deadline is July 24

The Thornton Reservoir is nearly full.

Mayor Johnson lauds a $12 million pilot project to build underground storage in Austin aimed at capturing floodwater before it overwhelms outdated sewers. The city hopes the concept can be a model for other neighborhoods.