[Communications] MWRD Commissioner Du Buclet Newsletter

[Kimberly Neely Du Buclet]

View this email in your browser (https://mailchi.mp/720daa4c2caa/commissioner-kimberly-neely-du-buclets-monthly-newsletter-4246569?e=c4ca39f2f7)
Next Regular Board Meeting on Thursday
September 23rd at 10:30 am
The Board of Commissioners will hold its Regular Board Meeting on Thursday September 23rd at 10:30am and public participation is encouraged. Visit mwrd.org to see the meeting agenda and live stream viewing instructions.  I look forward to hearing from you at the next MWRD Board meeting!

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9th Annual Sustainability Summit

Learn the benefits of using sustainable resources like MWRD EQ Compost and EQ Biosolids, green infrastructure, alternative landscaping methods to remove unwanted vegetation, and how you can add sustainable resources into your landscaping projects. Our experts will share their tips, best practices, and success stories. You'll even learn how we process our EQ Compost for beneficial reuse. THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

To register please click on the following link ** Sustainability Summit (https://mwrd.org/form/sustainability-summit-2021-regis)
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Sustainability Summit Awards

MWRD is accepting applications from Cook County individuals, organizations and businesses for its 2021 Sustainable Landscaping and Biosolids Beneficial Reuse Awards until September 15.

The awards recognize the activities and innovations from entities such as park districts, villages, schools, golf courses and athletic clubs in two separate categories: Sustainable Landscaping and Beneficial Use of Exceptional Quality (EQ) Biosolids and Biosolids Compost. Exceptional Quality biosolids and biosolids compost are a product of the MWRD’s water treatment process that are used as soil amendments and sustainable alternative to other materials.

For the purpose of the award, green infrastructure includes:
* Rainwater Harvesting, i.e. through rain barrels
* Rain Gardens
* Native Landscaping
* Stormwater Trees
* Porous Pavement
* Bioswales
* Green Roofs
* Greenways
* Wetlands
* Green Alleys, Streets, and Parking Lots

For more information on how to apply please click on the following link ** Summit Awards (https://mwrd.org/sustainability-summit-2021-awards-applications)
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Tour of Green ERA sites

Green ERA is a partnership comprised of multiple entities who are working together to bring green energy and jobs to Chicago’s Southside. These entities as are follows:
* Green Era Sustainability is a six year old company located in Chicago, IL. It is composed of biotechnology, green energy, and urban growing experts who are dedicated to sustainability and social justice.
* Green Era 83rd St LLC. is the funded entity that is building the Anaerobic Digester (2-acre foot print). It is where the Class B Equity capital is utilized.
* Green Era Educational NFP is a 501c3 that is the site developer and landowner for all entities operating business on the site.  In the future, it will lead to green energy-related activities, tours, and site improvements.
* Urban Growers Collective: 7 acres will house the urban farm, a building for community engagement, plaza and event space, garden center, permaculture design and programming with an (estimated) budget of $3.9M.

Green ERA creates sustainable communities by supporting local food production through better management of organic, biodegradable waste and access to nutrient dense soil.

For more information about Green ERA please click on the following link ** Green ERA (https://www.greenerachicago.com/)
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Southside Blooms Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Commissioner DuBuclet joined President Steele, Commissioner Spyropoulos, and Southside Blooms President Quilen Bldankwell.

What were vacant lots in Washington Park is now the newest flower farm for Southside Blooms. It's the official opening of the non-profits' fifth local urban farm. "We believe flowers can be the cash crop that can spur and unlock other economic prosperity," said Quilen Blackwell.

MWRD donated 278 tons of compost to enhance the soil and “promote more vibrant flowers,” said President Steele, president of the water reclamation district board.

The farm is supported in part by a neighborhood enhancement grant from the
South East Chicago Commission. That grant program funds groups working on beautification projects in Hyde Park, Kenwood, Woodlawn and Washington Park.

The farm also received financial support through the state’s Restore, Reinvest and Renew grant program, funded by sales taxes on marijuana. The program takes 25% of that tax revenue and invests it “back into communities that have been impacted by mass incarceration, the war on drugs and gun violence,” said Yaacov Delaney, program coordinator for the Justice, Equity, and Opportunity Initiative in Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s office, which oversees the grant program.
UIC's Dedication of Arthington Mall is SITES certified

Commissioner DuBuclet got and opportunity to see how MWRD's funding was put to use at UIC for the completion of a 37,000 square feet permeable pavement and rain gardens outside Student Center West at Arthington Mall.

“We were proud to participate on this campus renovation to display an impressive form of green infrastructure that shelters UIC from flooding and educates students and faculty on the importance of green infrastructure,” said
Commissioner DuBuclet. “UIC is a world class university, and where better to learn how to plan our communities for a changing climate than right here with the best minds in science.”

MWRD contributed $242,000 towards the green infrastructure pieces of the project which provide a total design retention capacity of 228,311 gallons per rain event.

Arthington Mall will be the first
SITES certified university space in Illinois.
SITES is a sustainability-focused framework that ushers landscape architects, engineers and others toward practices that protect ecosystems and enhance the mosaic of benefits they continuously provide our communities, such as climate regulation, carbon storage and flood mitigation.

MWRD commends UIC for their commitment to sustainability, carbon sequestration, and protecting and improving our water environment.
MWRD to Investigate Westside Flooding
** (https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ginxi49-Q62aboZiPCaGXA?fbclid=IwAR3CDMO98FNTURLdFWzhQEMtBvuA49khm5Ikxxma1On_-VXsqJcPZTqRXdk)
MWRD kicked off a flooding study at the start of this year. During the first half of the year MWRD talked to city officials and aldermen within the study areas of Austin, West Garfield Park and Humboldt Park.

Now MWRD is ready to hear from the residents of these communities about any flooding issues they may be experiencing, so that the agency can develop a plan to address it.

MWRD's plan will identify projects designed to reduce water back-ups that cause flooding in basements and keep the water off the streets, as well as projects that would be “resilient” in the face of flooding, among other priorities.

The MWRD is looking to complete the study for the West Side community areas by January 2022, with the goal of presenting recommendations to the city later that year.

To read more information please click of the following link ** Westside Flooding (https://www.austinweeklynews.com/2021/08/06/study-to-investigate-west-side-flooding-issues-recommend-solutions/)
Senator Mattie Hunter's 17th Annual Health Event

Commissioner DuBuclet joined State Senator Mattie Hunter and State Representative Lamont Robinson at Sen. Hunter's 17th Annual Family Health & Fitness Fair.

MWRD provided information about the District's work in storm water management and the treatment of wastewater. MWRD also gave away free compost, oak saplings and milkweed seed to save monarch butterflies
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What the Infrastructure Deal means
for our Drinking Water and Storm Water Management
** (https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ginxi49-Q62aboZiPCaGXA?fbclid=IwAR3CDMO98FNTURLdFWzhQEMtBvuA49khm5Ikxxma1On_-VXsqJcPZTqRXdk)

Investing in water infrastructure is one of the most important actions any level of government can take. Our communities rely on a vast network of underground pipes that constitute our water infrastructure to transport the water we need to our homes and businesses.

However, far too many of these pipes were laid decades, if not a century, ago. Illinois has the misfortune of containing more known lead service lines than any other state in our country.

Under the bipartisan infrastructure deal reached last week that includes Sen. Duckworth's bipartisan water infrastructure proposal, Congress would invest a total of approximately $55 billion over the five years to fix and upgrade drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects in Illinois and across the country.

This includes injecting
$43.4 billion into the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, while providing an additional $15 billion for lead service line replacement, with a priority on projects in low‐income communities and communities of color; and an extra $10 billion to clean up emerging contaminants. This bill also invests an additional $50 billion to address the effects of climate change‐related weather events.
For more details on Commissioner DuBuclet, Congresswoman Newman, and Senator Duckworth's perspective on this deal please click of the following Crain's Chicago Business link ** Op-Ed: Infrastructure Deal (https://mwrd.org/infrastructure-deal-means-more-fixing-roads-and-bridges-crains-chicago-business)
Chicago's Edgewater Community Tree Program

The Edgewater Environmental Sustainability Project (EESP) is a recipient of an Openlands Treekeepers tree planting grant. For a fall planting this year, we are working in special conjunction with the Chicago Region Trees Initiative! If you have a viable spot for a tree to be planted on the parkways between the curb and the sidewalk in front of residential buildings, school property, or vacant lots in the Edgewater community please click on the link below.

*PLEASE NOTE* This program is ONLY available to residents of the Edgewater community.

For more information about the Edgewater treeing planting grant please click on the following link ** Edgewater Tree Request (https://static-promote.weebly.com/share/7de0b199-93a9-434d-a82b-a1ee055ea681)
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Restore The Canopy Relaunch
** (https://mwrd.org/eq-compost)

In response to significant losses in the tree population due to the emerald ash borer infestations and extreme weather, the MWRD launched RTC in 2016. Since that time, the MWRD has given away more than 93,000 free tree saplings.

WHO: The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD)

WHAT: The MWRD will provide a variety of free potted oak saplings every Wednesday through its Restore the Canopy (RTC), Plant a Tree program.

WHERE: Visit MWRD water reclamation plants (WRPs) at the following locations:

** Calumet Water Reclamation Plant, 400 E. 130th St., Chicago (https://goo.gl/maps/QkV1ReQmFyVMLpcJ7)

** O’Brien Water Reclamation Plant, 3500 Howard Street, Skokie (https://goo.gl/maps/sGHxgHE9Pivdo8PE7)

** Stickney Water Reclamation Plant, 6001 W. Pershing Rd., Cicero (https://goo.gl/maps/o79Y7yvYFATkBEAt8)

** Egan Water Reclamation Plant, 550 South Meacham Rd, Schaumburg (https://goo.gl/maps/wVBW8yzZ1CbUvys3A)

** Hanover Park Water Reclamation Plant, 1220 Sycamore Ave., Hanover Park (https://goo.gl/maps/rstQuHVHpYuhPsky7)

** Kirie Water Reclamation Plant, 701 West Oakton St., Des Plaines (https://goo.gl/maps/6PqrWNDG6wedA6Cv7)

WHEN: Every Wednesday in April through October, from 9 a.m. to noon.
For more information about MWRD's Restore the Canopy relaunch please click on the following link ** Restore The Canopy 2021 (https://mwrd.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/2021%20Restoring%20the%20Canopy.pdf)
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FREE Ways To Get Trees Planted in Chicago
Planting trees is one of the simplest nature-based solutions to climate change and is a tangible way for individuals to make a positive impact on the environment. Programs in Chicago provide new trees and replace trees lost on city blocks to residents with the condition that residents put in the time and work to maintain the tree once it’s planted. Openlands wants to help you become an active steward of Chicago’s urban forest, which is why we’ve created this guide to help you find trees in Chicago through one of the programs offered to residents. Below are a number of ways to can get trees to plant.

Chicago 3-1-1:
Chicago residents looking to plant a tree in their neighborhood can contact Chicago’s 3-1-1 service. Residents can simply call 3-1-1 or submit a request online. Once the request is approved, the Bureau of Forestry will plant a tree along the public right-of-way in your neighborhood.

Openlands Tree Planters Grants: Tree Planters Grants provide new trees to communities in the City of Chicago and the near south suburbs.

Chicago Region Trees Initiative Program: As part of the Plant Trees for Communities Initiative with the Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI), of which Openlands is a founding member, individuals are invited to plant at least one tree in every local community in the seven-county Chicago region and in each of the 50 Chicago wards (approx. 340 trees) in 2021.

Purchase a Tree at the Openlands Native Tree and Plant Sale: The Openlands Native Tree and Plant Sale offers a wide variety of native trees for purchase that are not available at most big-box stores and nurseries.

For more information about ways to get Trees planted for FREE or for purchase click on the following link ** TREE FUNDING (https://openlands.org/2021/04/30/how-to-get-trees-planted-in-your-chicago-neighborhood/?fbclid=IwAR1uaJyf53SaGR-iaZCc9J_hm3KgWvjwRMfsDGPFOXqoR9GCcSNNOOvfdxk)
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MWRD Virtual Tour
JOIN US FOR A VIRTUAL TOUR EXPERIENCE!

Travel back in time to early Chicago to see how we reversed the Chicago River and developed wastewater treatment technology. Go behind the scenes and under water to see how we transform the water you use every day; descend 300 feet into the deep tunnel system, and watch our electrofishing crew at work sampling fish on the Chicago River.

Date: Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Time: 10AM  – 11:15AM
Location: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tdeCqrD8tGdXZH7NQARFQWPTGuLNNC-Cf
MWRD Small Streams Maintenance Program
The Small Stream Maintenance Program is one of MWRD's little know programs. If left unattended, this debris could cause stream blockages and lead to flooding. Please help be our eyes by reporting blockages and debris in streams at ** https://gispub.mwrd.org/ssmp/ (https://gispub.mwrd.org/ssmp/?fbclid=IwAR2qzfZOCqc2nNJ-GTHzqS4DZ5uOUq3EB6u_NikmXvG8OxCSQB0M7j68U74)
or call (312) 787-3575.
Free Compost for Pick Up!
** (https://mwrd.org/eq-compost)
Click photo for more information on MWRD's compost programs
Rain Barrels For Sale
Click of the following link to purchase a rain barrel ** MWRD Rain Barrels (https://rainbarrel.ca/mwrd/)
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Free Fun Water Education Resources!
Home looking for things for the kids to do? Check out MWRD’s free and fun activities and resources available on our ** website (https://mwrd.org/k-12)
. There you’ll find lots of fun ways to learn about MWRD and how to protect our water and the environment. Materials are available in both English and Spanish. Print, use, learn and enjoy!
MWRD Storybook & Animation for Children

Have you ever wondered what happens after you flush the toilet?

The new MWRD publication and animated video "Where does IT Go?" tells the story of three young water explorers who travel in a magical ship through MWRD pipes, sewers and tanks that are used to clean dirty water. Interspersed throughout the storybook are photos of actual equipment and processes described in the story.
Download a copy of this storybook by clicking on the following link  ** Where does IT Go (Storybook) (https://mwrd.org/sites/default/files/documents/WhereDoesItGo_200921.pdf)
and ** Where does IT Go (Animation) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed_kMwLK9q8)
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Green Explorers Club "Project Boxes"
Green Explorers Club teaches kids the tools of sustainability while building a healthy curiosity for life sciences and the environment. They explore sustainability through hands-on experiments and activities that demonstrate the importance of taking care of our planet. They take kids out into nature and explore the world hands-on through experience.

However, for kids who want to try
Green Explorers Club at home, or families who do not live close to their Chicago location, their project boxes are the next best thing. Every project box contains activities used in their studio with the fantastic kids who join their camps and classes every year. Their project boxes are designed for kids ages 4-9 years.

For more information about the Green Explorers Club and their Project Boxes please click on the following link ** Project Boxes (https://greenexplorersclub.com/pages/project-boxes-3/)
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Employment Opportunities at MWRD
Current Positions

Risk Manager - Annual Salary $113,316.32/year
Laboratory Technician II - Annual Salary $53,843.14/year

** Online Employment Center Link  (https://www.jobapscloud.com/mwrd/)
Upcoming Events
Click Link to see ** Community Events (https://mwrd.org/events)
Contact Information
Our mailing address is:

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
Commissioner Kimberly Du Buclet
100 East Erie Street
Chicago, IL 60611

Phone Number
312-751-5086
** Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/Kim4Water )
** Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/KIM4MWRD/)
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