[Communications] MWRD FLOW - November 2022

Tue Nov 1 17:01:09 CDT 2022

Monthly news summary from the MWRD  November 2022 | Issue 25 For the Love Of Water (FLOW) is a summary of news from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.  View FLOW on our website In this edition Upcoming Events November 3 - MWRD Board of Commissioners to meet, 10:30 a.m. November 10 - Stormwater webinar for Cook County government organizations, 11 a.m. November 11 - Honoring Veterans on Veterans Day November 15 - Monthly Virtual Tour of MWRD properties November 17 - MWRD Board of Commissioners to meet, 10:30 a.m. November 24 - Happy Thanksgiving! November 29 - Construction and Professional Services Vendor Outreach Fair, 8 a.m. December 7 - Stormwater webinar for Cook County government organizations, 1:30 p.m. Latest News 10th Annual Sustainability Summit highlights green infrastructure, anniversary of Calumet Water Reclamation Plan and Cal-Sag Channel, biosolids and more Members of MWRD 's first Community Partnership Council introduced MWRD staff, Commissioners wear pink to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month Three Space to Grow schools unveiled in October MWRD joins Forest Preserves of Cook County to unveil Schuth's Grove project completion Green intersections in LaGrange Park celebrated Peoples Gas honors MWRD with energy efficiency award MWRD’s Buffalo Creek Reservoir claims top engineering prize Deep Tunnel's 50th Birthday highlighted during Virtual Tour and Board of Commissioners' meeting Tree planted at Stickney Water Reclamation Plant in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Morton Arboretum & 50th anniversary of The Conservation Foundation Resources What are Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)? Household hazardous waste collection Save the Monarch butterfly MWRD Employment Center Doing Business with the MWRD Report Waterway Blockages, Suspicious Dumping and Odors Extras  Historical Photo of the Month November 2022 Calendar Upcoming Events Board of Commissioners to meet Nov. 3 and Nov. 17 The MWRD Board of Commissioners will hold its Regular Board Meeting at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 3 and Thursday, November 17. Public comments may be made in person at 100 E. Erie Street during the Public Comment period. To view the meeting, visit https://mwrd.legistar.com/calendar.aspx. Click the "In Progress" link under the Video Column. This link will be active when there is a meeting in session. MWRD to provide funding to local government partners to manage stormwater Two webinars scheduled: Thursday, Nov. 10 at 11 a.m. Register here for 11/10 Wednesday, December 7 at 1:30 p.m. Register here for 12/7 We're looking for local governments in Cook County to join us in investing in stormwater management projects and strategic partnerships. Applications for assistance through the MWRD Stormwater Partnership Program are available through Jan. 13, 2023. Government entities, including municipalities, townships, county agencies, park districts, school districts and other local government organizations can apply for assistance in addressing local flooding through the MWRD’s Stormwater Partnership Program. To learn more and apply, visit mwrd.org/stormwater-partnership-program. In addition, the MWRD is also accepting applications for assistance in acquiring flood prone properties. Applications can be found at mwrd.org/flood-prone-property-acquisition. To learn more about both programs, the MWRD recorded an informational webinar on the 2022 programs here. Read the press release here. Monthly MWRD Virtual Tour set for Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m.  Register at https://mwrd.org/facility-and-virtual-tours. Join us for another virtual tour. Go underwater at the worlds largest water reclamation facility, explore the deep tunnel system, meet the dancing water bear and see electrofishing in action. MWRD to host Construction and Professional Services Vendor Outreach Fair on Nov. 29 The public is invited to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago’s (MWRD) construction and professional services vendor outreach fair set for Tuesday, November 29, 2022, at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Student Center East, 750 S. Halsted St., Chicago. Paid parking is available across the street.   This event strives to expand and maximize business opportunities for local Minority Business Enterprises (MBE), Women Business Enterprises (WBE), Small Business Enterprises (SBE) and Veteran Business Enterprises (VBE). Registration starts at 8 a.m., and the program begins at 9 a.m.   Qualified business owners seeking to register as a potential vendor with the MWRD can learn more about the process, and best practices will be shared by successful participants. MWRD’s executive staff and Commissioners will be available to provide detailed information on contracting.   To register, please visit https://mwrd.org/events. For additional information, email mwrddiversity at mwrd.org. Latest News 10th Annual Sustainability Summit highlights green infrastructure, anniversary of Calumet Water Reclamation Plant and Cal-Sag Channel, biosolids and more The 10th Annual Sustainability Summit was held on October 21 at the Ford Calumet Environmental Center, 11555 S. Stony Island Ave., Chicago, IL. Presenters covered environmental issues and winners of the Biosolids Beneficial Reuse and Sustainable Landscaping awards were announced. Dr. Theresa Johnston, MWRD Senior Environmental Soil Scientist, discussed biosolids and compost use as a sustainable practice; Bona J. Heinsohn, MA, CAE, Director of Governmental Affairs & Public Relations, discussed the work of the Illinois Farm Bureau; Rich Fisher, Principal Civil Engineer, discussed MWRD Partnership Programs, the role of green infrastructure, flood prone property buyouts, and how to apply for grants from Public Sector Resources; and former MWRD Exec. Director Dick Lanyon discussed the history of the Calumet Water Reclamation Plant and Cal-Sage Channel. The top award for Sustainable Landscaping went to the Village of Elmwood Park. The Village implemented a green infrastructure treatment train consisting of a detention basin, rain garden, and bioswales to manage overland flow stormwater runoff. The second award for Sustainable Landscaping went to the village of Brookfield. The village implemented an initiative for paving its alleys with permeable brick pavers along the center of the alley and including aggregate beneath the pavement to provide storage for runoff. The top award for Biosolids Beneficial Reuse was shared between the Village of Alsip and the Chicago Region Trees Initiative. They worked together to use EQ biosolids and compost to reconstruct topsoil and create a new, fertile growing space for over 200 trees, shrubs, and native prairie plants at the new Alsip Boat Launch. This project used biosolids, native vegetation and other vegetative green infrastructure features to intercept rainwater and reduce runoff to protect the quality of the Cal-Sag Channel, while also making the channel an attractive and accessible destination. Read more here. Members of MWRD's first Community Partnership Council introduced Members of the MWRD's first Community Partnership Council (CPC) were introduced at the Sustainability Summit. The Calumet Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) CPC is a new initiative stemming from the MWRD’s 2021-2025 Strategic Plan to engage with the community and expand partnership opportunities. The CPC will serve as a liaison between the Calumet WRP and the neighboring community while ensuring the MWRD is a responsive neighbor and inclusive partner. Council members were selected from community-based organizations, schools, businesses, health care, and the general public to represent a diverse cross-section of the community. MWRD staff, Commissioners wear pink to support Breast Cancer Awareness The MWRD “Pinked it Up” in the MWRD board room and at our facilities like Kirie Water Reclamation Plant in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Our commissioners, led by Vice President Barbara McGowan, a breast cancer survivor, passed a resolution honoring all past and current employees who have bravely battled breast cancer. Three Space to Grow Schools unveiled in October Three Space to Grow Schools were unveiled in October. Space to Grow partners with the MWRD, Chicago Department of Water Management, Chicago Public Schools, Healthy Schools Campaign and Openlands joined students, teachers and school leaders at the Brian Piccolo School of Excellence, 1040 N. Keeler Ave., on Oct. 17 to celebrate a new schoolyard. This school is in the South Chicago neighborhood. Piccolo’s schoolyard can hold 155,201 gallons of stormwater per rain event and includes an artificial turf field, basketball court, porous playground surfacing, a nature play area, several rain gardens, and an outdoor classroom. Piccolo marks the 31st schoolyard completed by Space to Grow partners. By the end of 2022, the partners will have completed a combined 34 schoolyards that can capture 6,536,570 gallons, equivalent to 9.9 Olympic-sized swimming pools, or 130,731 bathtubs per rain event.   Edward Coles School, 8441 S. Yates Blvd., in the South Chicago neighborhood, was unveiled on Oct. 28. This schoolyard can hold 568,534 gallons of stormwater per rain event and includes an artificial turf field, basketball courts, porous playground surfacing, several play hills and rain gardens, and an outdoor classroom. Mays Elementary Academy, 6656 S. Normal Blvd., in the Englewood neighborhood was unveiled on October 31 under foggy skies. Mays' schoolyard can hold 158,271 gallons of stormwater per rain event and includes an articifial turf field, basketball court, porous playground surfacing, a nature play area, several play hills and rain gardens, and an outdoor classroom. MWRD joins Forest Preserves of Cook County to unveil Schuth's Grove project completion MWRD President Kari K. Steele, Commissioner Kimberly Du Buclet and Commissioner Mariyana Spyropoulos joined Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Forest Preserve District of Cook County Superintendent Arnold Randall, Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar and Illinois Department of Natural Resources Assistant Director John Rogner to unveil a new canoe and kayak launch at Schuth’s Grove near Riverside with a permeable parking lot that can store more than 110,000 gallons each time it rains, thanks to MWRD green infrastructure. The new green lot and boat launch mitigates flooding, improves water quality, protects the Des Plaines River, attracts more visitors to our waterways and inspires more community engagement and education toward green infrastructure solutions! Green intersection in LaGrange Park celebrated Green intersections are surfacing in the Village of La Grange Park. MWRD President Kari K. Steele joined La Grange Park President Dr. Jim Discipio, Village Manager Julia A. Cedillo, Public Works Director Rick Radde and village trustees and staff to cut the ribbon on three new green intersections on Monroe Avenue. The three intersections reduce stormwater flows to local sewer systems and prevent combined sewer overflows; address local flooding and drainage concerns; utilize natural systems to manage stormwater; enhance public areas; increase La Grange Park’s green space; and educate and engage directly with the community using and benefiting from the new intersections. Because the pavers absorb more stormwater runoff, less runoff can overwhelm sewers and waterways. As a result, the project is also improving area water quality. We estimate that the three intersections will protect 24 structures from flooding and provide more than 90,000 gallons of stormwater storage each time it rains. See before and after photos below and read more here. Peoples Gas honors MWRD with Energy Efficiency Award A $26-million heat exchanger system upgrade at the MWRD's Calumet Water Reclamation Plant is leading to reduced energy demands, cost savings for taxpayers and now awards. Peoples Gas honored the MWRD at its 2022 Energy Forum with an Energy Efficiency Award, presented to MWRD President Kari K. Steele at the event held Sept. 29 at Guaranteed Rate Field. Read more about the award. MWRD’s Buffalo Creek Reservoir claims top engineering prize  A stormwater management project from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) that protects downstream Buffalo Grove neighbors from flooding and attracts visitors for its enhanced trails and natural spaces is now claiming a top local engineering award. The American Society of Civil Engineers Illinois Section (ASCE-IL) honored the MWRD and consultant engineers from Hey and Associates with the 2022 Sustainability in Civil Engineering Achievement Award for the Buffalo Creek Reservoir expansion project. For more views of Buffalo Creek, visit the MWRD’s YouTube channel. Deep Tunnel's 50th Birthday highlighted during Virtual Tour and Board of Commissioners' meeting Approx. 380 people watched as the MWRD gave an overview of the Tunnel and Reservoir plan on October 26 to a virtual audience. A video presentation is currently being created. TARP, also known as “Deep Tunnel,” is a system of deep, large diameter tunnels and vast reservoirs designed to reduce flooding, improve water quality in Chicago area waterways and protect Lake Michigan from pollution caused by sewer overflows. TARP captures and stores combined stormwater and sewage that would otherwise overflow from sewers into waterways in rainy weather. This stored water is pumped from TARP to water reclamation plants (WRPs) to be cleaned before being released to waterways. TARP includes four tunnel systems totaling 109 miles of tunnels, 8 to 33 feet in diameter and 150 to 300 feet underground. The four TARP tunnel systems capture and convey combined sewage and stormwater to the Majewski Reservoir, Thornton Composite Reservoir and McCook Reservoir (Stage I). The system will have a combined sewage capacity of 17.5 billion gallons when Stage 2 of McCook Reservoir is completed. That is more than 4,666 gallons for each person in its service area. Construction on the McCook Reservoir Stage 2 is scheduled for completion in 2029. One of the largest civil engineering projects on earth, TARP has been extremely effective and widely emulated since the initial tunnels went online in 1981. Read more here. MWRD plants donated tree to commemorate 100th Anniversary of Morton Arboretum and 50th Anniversary of The Conservation Foundation In commemoration of the centennial anniversary of the Morton Arboretum and 50th anniversary of The Conservation Foundation (TCF), staff and leaders at the MWRD planted a Princeton American elm tree at the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant they hope will last another 100 years. The tree was donated by Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd., one of 75 trees donated to more than 40 communities across the Chicago area in honor of the Morton Arboretum and TCF. Read more here. Resources What are Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)? Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of manmade fluorinated compounds that are designed to be stable and have been in commercial use since the 1940s. The stability of the chemicals makes them difficult to degrade which is why they are often called “forever chemicals.” PFAS are in countless commercial, consumer, and industrial products and are acknowledged by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be widely present in the environment. Like other water utilities across the U.S., the MWRD is addressing how best to manage PFAS in the water environment. The MWRD’s seven water reclamation plants (WRPs) do not produce nor use PFAS but are passive receivers of these chemicals discharged to local sewers. Wastewater can contain trace amounts of these chemicals from industrial, commercial and household sources. The MWRD’s WRPs were not designed to remove these chemicals during the treatment process. The use of nonstick cookware, cosmetics and sunscreens, washing clothes, and putting out fires with certain foams can all introduce PFAS into the environment. The MWRD is closely following and proceeding based on the developing science on the potential impacts of PFAS. The key to pollution prevention is addressing the source of PFAS. The MWRD is working to identify and reduce industrial discharges of PFAS, learning how the discharge from these sources can be reduced and encouraging federal and state regulators to focus on stopping these chemicals at the source. The MWRD’s pretreatment program regulates industrial discharges to protect the treatment process and valuable resources the MWRD recovers. Read the complete fact sheet here. Household Hazardous Waste Collection Dispose of your household chemicals responsibly and recycle your old computers by dropping them off at the City of Chicago's permanent Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Facility at 1150 N. North Branch Street (two blocks east of the Kennedy Expressway at Division Street). Household chemicals and computers often contain hazardous substances, such as lead, mercury, and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) which can contaminate our air, soil and water. Through proper disposal methods or recycling, these hazardous substances are reprocessed and reused in an environmentally-responsible manner. The Household Chemical and Computer Recycling Facility accepts a range of items, including household cleaners, oil-based paints, solvents, cell phones, compact fluorescent light bulbs, computers and related equipment to name a few. It does not accept business/commercial sector wastes, explosives, fireworks or latex paint.  During business hours, an attendant will be ready to help unload your vehicle and accept your materials. Materials should not be left outside the facility unattended. Scheduled business hours are: Tuesdays, 7 a.m. - Noon Thursdays, 2 p.m. - 7 p.m. The first Saturday of every month 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. See which items will be accepted by visiting this link. Save the Monarch Butterfly The International Union for Conservation of Nature has added migratory monarch butterflies to their list of Threatened Species. This means Monarch butterflies are now in danger of extinction. In fact, 99.9% of the Western monarch butterfly population has disappeared since 1980. We all can help by planting milkweed which is the monarch caterpillar's only source of food. Visit mwrd.org/save-monarchs to take the pledge to receive free milkweed seeds from the MWRD to help save monarchs.    MWRD Employment Center Are you seeking a new career or looking for your first job? If so, please visit our online employment center at this link to register, apply and learn more about jobs and the selection process at the MWRD. We also enjoy participating in job fairs throughout the county so stop by our table if you are in attendance! Doing Business with the MWRD Want to learn how to do business with the MWRD? Visit this link to get started. You'll find many resources, including videos presented by our Director of Procurement and Materials Management, Director of Engineering, and Diversity Administrator. The Department of Procurement and Materials Management procures materials and services required for operations in compliance with the Purchasing Act. The mission of the Diversity Section is to ensure that minority owned (MBE), women owned (WBE), small (SBE), and veteran owned (VBE) business enterprises are given equal opportunities to participate in the performance of the MWRD’s construction program and professional service contracts in excess of $100,000. Our procurement process is designed to ensure the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars, so we encourage you to register to become a vendor. Be a reporter! There are three ways the public can report waterway blockages, illegal or suspicious dumping to waterways or sewers, or odors. Call 800-332-DUMP (3867) or, in Spanish, 855-323-4801, on our website https://gispub.mwrd.org/incidentreporting/ and through our iOS app https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mwrd-citizen-incident-reporting/id914049460?ls=1 Extras Historical Photo: The South Branch of the Chicago River and the rail yard for the Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad on September 5, 1905, viewed looking north from Eighteenth Street.  November 2022 Calendar  Caption: The Buffalo Creek Reservoir Expansion Project increases storage capacity to alleviate flooding for downstream communities, while improving recreation at Buffalo Creek in the Lake County Forest Preserves. For the $9.7-million-project, the MWRD restored tributaries, wetlands and prairie and established native plantings, hundreds of new trees, shrubs and other forms of green infrastructure. Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago | mwrd.org Missed an edition of FLOW? 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