Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

District Seal

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD), originally known as the Sanitary District of Chicago is a special-purpose district, chartered to operate in northern Illinois since 1889. Although its name may imply otherwise, it is not a part of the City of Chicago's local government, but an independent agency of state government with an elected Board of Commissioners. MWRDGC's main purpose is the reclamation and treatment of wastewater and flood water abatement in Cook County to protect the health and safety of citizens and of area waterways. Perhaps its most notable achievement is the reversal of the flow of the Chicago River in 1900.

History

Originally established as the Sanitary District of Chicago, the MWRDGC has played a vital role in the history and health of the city. The Sanitary District Enabling Act of May 29, 1889, established the District with the purpose of managing water supply and wastewater issues. Two important early projects included the reversal of the Chicago River, designed to carry waste water away from Lake Michigan, and the construction of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal which aided in the flowage of water out of Lake Michigan. The canal also allowed for larger commercial vessels to move from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico by way of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers.

The Sanitary District of Chicago was renamed the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago in 1989, by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Act.

Responsibilities and programs

Stickney Water Reclamation Plant

State Street Bridge

The District's territory covers approximately 91% of land area and 98% of the valuation of Cook County, Illinois; and, unlike other sanitary districts, the district has the power to operate facilities outside its boundaries. It serves an area of 883 square miles (2,290 km²) which covers the City of Chicago and 125 suburban municipalities. The District’s 554 miles (892 km) of intercepting sewer mains are linked to approximately 10,000 local connections. Nearly 2,000 people are employed by the MWRD.

The MWRD operates the largest wastewater treatment plant in the world, the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant in Cicero, Illinois, in addition to six other plants and 23 pumping stations. The District treats an average 1.5 billion US gallons (5,700,000 m³) of wastewater each day. It also shares responsibility with the Army Corps of Engineers for the Chicago Area Water System (CAWS), including the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and approximately 76 miles (122 km) of waterways, part of a national system connecting the Atlantic Ocean, Great Lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico.

The MWRD oversees one of the largest civil engineering projects ever undertaken—the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan, better known as the "Deep Tunnel Project." It includes over one hundred miles of tunnels, 9 to 33 feet (10 m) in diameter, each part of an extensive flood mitigation and pollution control project.

In 2004, the Illinois General Assembly granted the MWRD stormwater management authority for Cook County, and since that time, the MWRD has been working to address regional flooding issues. After several years of negotiations, the MWRD Board of Commissioners and representatives from the Wheeling Park District and the Village of Wheeling signed an Intergovernmental Agreement in 2010 for the design, construction, and operation of the stormwater facilities and related additional improvements to Heritage Park, located in the Des Plaines River watershed near the intersection of Dundee and Wolf Roads in Wheeling.

The partnership took a giant leap forward{www.mwrd.org press release 6/4/12} in providing much needed flood relief for residents of Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights as representatives broke ground on the Heritage Park Flood Control Facility, 333 W. Dundee, Wheeling, Ill. on June 4, 2012. Six stormwater storage areas within the complex will have a total capacity to store more than 49 million gallons of rain water. The construction plans also include new walkways, a pavilion by the lake, a band shell, soccer fields and baseball diamonds. The complex will provide compensatory floodwater storage upstream of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Levee 37 flood control structure currently being constructed along the Des Plaines River in Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights. The Levee 37 project and the new Heritage Park stormwater facility together will help alleviate flooding for approximately 600 homes and businesses.^{[citation needed]}

The MWRD Commissioners retained AECOM Technical Services to design the project and awarded a contract to F.H. Paschen/Lake County Grading Joint Venture to construct the facility. The project will be completed by 2014.

Disinfection Technology Policy Instituted

In June 2011, the MWRD Board of Commissioners voted to implement disinfection technology at the Calumet WTP in Chicago and the North Side WTP in Skokie. By March, 2012, the MWRD selected the optimal technology for disinfecting the effluent at the Calumet and North Side Water Reclamation Plants after a blue ribbon task force evaluated all available disinfection technologies using a triple bottom line approach that considered economic, environmental and social criteria.

The processes selected were chlorination/dechlorination for Calumet and ultraviolet irradiation (UV) with low pressure high output lamps for North Side. The estimated capital costs, including engineering design and construction support costs for these two recommended alternatives, totals just over $130 million, approximately 54 percent of the anticipated cost. The internal task force included staff from the departments of Monitoring and Research, Engineering, and Maintenance and Operations. The team systematically evaluated all available disinfection technologies and reviewed academic research and industry practice literature. The task force also performed bench scale studies, monitored existing plant effluent, reviewed site conditions, and contacted industry experts, manufacturers and suppliers, and other large wastewater treatment agencies. In addition, the task force gathered data about design parameters, operational needs, maintenance requirements, and annual and capital costs. Differences in existing infrastructure and hydraulics at the two plants require that a combination of methods be implemented as the basis of final design and construction of the facilities.

The task force worked swiftly to ensure disinfection will come online at the same time as the Thornton reservoir to maximize the water quality impact for the Cal-Sag channel. Construction should be completed by December 2015 and disinfection will be in service for the 2016 recreational season.

Organization and Administration

The District is governed by a nine-member Board of Commissioners, elected at large for six-year terms. Terms are staggered so that three commission chairs are open every two years. The commissioners serve on a part-time basis and receive salaries of $50,000 to $70,000 based on years of service. Commissioners act as the District’s legislative branch establishing policies and procedures for meeting the goals of the District.

Biannually the board elects from its members a President, Vice President, and Chairman of the Committee on Finance.

The District’s Treasurer, its chief financial officer, reports directly to the Board. The Treasurer is charged with maximizing investment interest, issuing bonds to meet capital requirements, managing any debts, and providing general financial management.

Also reporting directly to the Board is the Executive Director who manages the District’s day-to-day operations. The Executive Director serves as a key component of the District’s organization. Eight department heads report to the Executive Director as does the staff and support units of the General Administration Division, Management & Budget Section, Public Affairs Section and Affirmative Action Section.

In the event of a Board vacancy the Governor of Illinois appoints a replacement member who serves the remainder of the term.

Board of Commissioners

• Kathleen Therese Meany - President of the Board
• Barbara McGowan - Vice President
• Mariyana Spyropoulos - Chairman of Finance
• Michael Alvarez
• M. Frank Ávila
• Cynthia Santos
• Debra Shore
• Kari Steele
• Patrick Thompson

Public Participation

Public meetings are held twice per month (except during July and August) in the board room at 100 E. Erie Street, Chicago, IL. An electronic copy of the agenda is available via the District’s website about three days prior to each meeting.

At least one public hearing is held between 10 and 20 days after new tentative budgets are made available to the public.

Introduction of Sewerthermal energy

The MWRD and University of Illinois at Chicago developed a new energy source using an $87,500 grant provided by the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation in 2010; the funding helps to cover the total $175,000 cost. The partnership will result in significant energy and cost savings at the Kirie Water Reclamation Plant (WRP). Anticipated savings include a 25 to 50 percent reduction in electricity usage for heating and cooling needs as well as reductions in maintenance expenses and pollutants associated with separate heating and cooling systems.University of Illinois news The Kirie WRP has a daily average flow of 52 million gallons per day (MGD), a capacity of 100 MGD and operates 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks per year. The Kirie WRP serves a 65.2 square miles and serves approximately 217,000 people. The MWRD originally embarked on the project due to across the board increases in energy costs and the desire to become more environmentally-friendly. Taking advantage of alternative resource options goes hand in hand in increasing overall efficiencies at MWRD facilities.

The Kirie system is one of the first to use wastewater for heat recovery and provides the MWRD with the opportunity to evaluate both open and closed loop systems for efficiency and overall performance. MWRD and UIC worked to develop a feasibility study for the Kirie WRP, including system design, equipment requirements, historical system data, space requirements and installation.

The sewerthermal heat and cooling system is expected to harness energy from effluent water (treated wastewater) and is expected to supply the Kirie WRP with up to 40 percent of its heating and cooling energy needs. This plan could provide a model for heating and cooling energy needs at other MWRD facilities. The sewerthermal system will take advantage of relatively constant high temperatures of effluent water and will use only 20 percent or less power than what is needed for a traditional, direct heating system. Rather than extracting heat from the ground as is common for geothermal systems, the MWRD’s system is designed to extract heat from the effluent water, which holds a steady minimum temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

In 2012, the sewerthermal system is only one of the energy efficiency upgrades planned for the Kirie WRP. Other plans include enhanced insulation in all buildings and installation of motion sensors that automatically adjust lighting, heating and cooling systems.

See also

• Centennial Fountain
• Illinois and Michigan Canal
• Jardine Water Purification Plant
• Lockport Powerhouse
• Chicago 1885 cholera epidemic myth

External links

• Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (Official Site)