Flynn reflected on the resilience of Irish immigrants who fled famine and found new beginnings in Chicago. She drew a direct connection between the Irish laborers who helped build the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal more than a century ago and the ongoing mission of the MWRD to safeguard public health and protect the region’s water environment.

In the Midwest, wetlands are a vital nature-based remedy for water management, serving as enormous sponges by absorbing rainfall, slowing runoff and reducing pressure on sewer systems during intense storms.

The MWRD is committed to building what the UN calls “future-ready sanitation.” For us, this means more than maintaining pipes and plants, it means maintaining and designing systems that are resilient.

MWRD’s message is “go easy on the salt,” citing the negative impact excessive salting, which eventually makes its way into sewers, not only has on waterways and aquatic life but trees, plants and animal paws.
 

The project was the result of a partnership between the forest preserve district and the DuPage River Salt Creek Workgroup. The funds for the roughly $9.5 million cost were raised from local wastewater treatment entities, including the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

This impressive feat of engineering not only safeguarded Chicagoans’ public health but it also transformed the city economically.

Here in Cook County, we have one of the most complex and historic water systems in the country. Much of it was built more than a century ago and has served generations of families and businesses.

Every drain in your house, whether it’s a sink, a toilet, the shower go into a sewer. And ultimately, those sewers come to the MWRD. In an average year, the Stickney facility is treating about 250 billion gallons of wastewater.

President Kari K. Steele shares insights on leadership, climate challenges, and the future of Chicago’s water systems.

In places where combined sewer overflow is an issue, using water-consuming appliances at appropriate times can help keep waterways clean. Some municipalities, like the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, offer alert programs so residents can reduce their water usage and help prevent such overflows from happening.