MWRD, EPA, IEPA Break Ground at Disinfection Project
Source Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 Administrator Susan Hedman, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Director Lisa Bonnett, Rep. Robyn Gabel, Skokie, Ill., Mayor George Van Dusen and other area representatives joined the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Board of Commissioners to break ground on the disinfection facility at the O’Brien Water Reclamation Plant (WRP).
Ground was also broken for the disinfection facility at the Calumet WRP on Chicago’s south side. The work should be completed by December 2015, ahead of the 2016 recreational season. The MWRD's Thornton Reservoir, which will also dramatically improve water quality in the Calumet region, is scheduled to go online at the same time.
Significant support for these projects has come from local, state and federal leadership. In 2011, U.S. Senators Richard Durbin and Mark Kirk and Congressman Mike Quigley toured the Chicago area waterways and announced their support for the disinfection projects. In April 2012, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Governor Quinn and the U.S. EPA awarded the MWRD $10 million through the Illinois Jobs Now! capital program. That funding supplemented the $21 million in engineering and design costs needed to make the MWRD’s disinfection facilities possible. In addition to directly improving the water environment, the two disinfection projects will create 750 construction, operations and support jobs.
Margaret Frisbie, executive director of the Friends of the Chicago River, said, “The Chicago River is emerging as one of our region’s most significant natural resources. Wastewater disinfection is the natural next step in ensuring that the river will become clean and healthy for the people who live here and visit as well as the wildlife that calls it home.”
“The Chicago River is one of the most important waterways in Illinois and it should be protected,” Governor Quinn said. “This project will not only create hundreds of jobs now, it will improve the quality of life of everyone who enjoys the river and help attract tourism that will boost Illinois’ economy.”
Source: Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
