Latest news with #TunnelandReservoirPlan
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Today in Chicago History: Hit man Harry ‘The Hook' Aleman acquitted — after Judge Frank J. Wilson was bribed
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on May 24, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) High temperature: 93 degrees (1950) Low temperature: 34 degrees (1992) Precipitation: 1.62 inches (1927) Snowfall: Trace (1955) 1879: The Chicago Academy of Fine Arts (later renamed Art Institute of Chicago) was incorporated. 1977: Reputed Chicago mob hit man Harry 'The Hook' Aleman was acquitted in the Sept. 27, 1972, slaying of Teamster William Logan. Evidence later surfaced that Judge Frank Wilson had been bribed. The Dishonor Roll: Judges Aleman became the first defendant in U.S. history to be retried on murder charges after having been acquitted at trial. He was convicted in 1997 at the second trial and sentenced to 100 to 300 years in prison, where he died in 2010. 1985: The first 31 miles of the Deep Tunnel, or the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan, was completed. Still under construction, it's the largest public works project in Chicago's history and one of the biggest in the U.S. The tunnel system is expected to be 130 miles long and cost $3.6 billion when completed. The Deep Tunnel is intended to 'bottle a rainstorm' by channeling storm water that overflows from sewers into the system's tunnels that connect with massive reservoirs. 1988: Michael Jordan became the first NBA player to be named league MVP and defensive player of the year in the same season after averaging 35 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 3.2 steals. 1993: Jordan sparked controversy by gambling with his father in Atlantic City, New Jersey, casinos the night before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks. He was criticized the next night for shooting 12-for-32 in a 96-91 loss, but the Chicago Bulls still won the series. 'He's a competitor,' James Jordan, Michael's father, told the Tribune in late May 1993. 'Losing $10,000 to him would be like me losing 10 cents. … If he was playing for matchsticks or straws, he'd have the same level of competition. 'He certainly doesn't have a gambling problem. He wouldn't be doing that if he couldn't afford it. He isn't that stupid. He has a competition problem. He was born with that. And if he didn't have a competition problem, you guys wouldn't be writing about him. The person he tries to outdo most of the time is himself.' 1995: The Illinois General Assembly approved the Chicago School Reform Amendatory Act, which gave Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley the ability to appoint school board members directly and replace the superintendent with an appointed chief executive officer. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past. Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at krumore@ and mmather@
Chicago Tribune
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: Hit man Harry ‘The Hook' Aleman acquitted — after Judge Frank J. Wilson was bribed
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on May 24, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1879: The Chicago Academy of Fine Arts (later renamed Art Institute of Chicago) was incorporated. 1977: Reputed Chicago mob hit man Harry 'The Hook' Aleman was acquitted in the Sept. 27, 1972, slaying of Teamster William Logan. Evidence later surfaced that Judge Frank Wilson had been bribed. The Dishonor Roll: JudgesAleman became the first defendant in U.S. history to be retried on murder charges after having been acquitted at trial. He was convicted in 1997 at the second trial and sentenced to 100 to 300 years in prison, where he died in 2010. 1985: The first 31 miles of the Deep Tunnel, or the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan, was completed. Still under construction, it's the largest public works project in Chicago's history and one of the biggest in the U.S. The tunnel system is expected to be 130 miles long and cost $3.6 billion when completed. The Deep Tunnel is intended to 'bottle a rainstorm' by channeling storm water that overflows from sewers into the system's tunnels that connect with massive reservoirs. 1988: Michael Jordan became the first NBA player to be named league MVP and defensive player of the year in the same season after averaging 35 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 3.2 steals. 1993: Jordan sparked controversy by gambling with his father in Atlantic City, New Jersey, casinos the night before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks. He was criticized the next night for shooting 12-for-32 in a 96-91 loss, but the Chicago Bulls still won the series. 'He's a competitor,' James Jordan, Michael's father, told the Tribune in late May 1993. 'Losing $10,000 to him would be like me losing 10 cents. … If he was playing for matchsticks or straws, he'd have the same level of competition. 'He certainly doesn't have a gambling problem. He wouldn't be doing that if he couldn't afford it. He isn't that stupid. He has a competition problem. He was born with that. And if he didn't have a competition problem, you guys wouldn't be writing about him. The person he tries to outdo most of the time is himself.' 1995: The Illinois General Assembly approved the Chicago School Reform Amendatory Act, which gave Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley the ability to appoint school board members directly and replace the superintendent with an appointed chief executive officer. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
CBS News
02-04-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
As heavy rain soaks Chicago area, officials issue "Overflow Action Day" to urge people to use less water
Even before steady and often heavy rainfall began falling across the Chicago area on Wednesday, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District was urging people to cut down on their water use, to help limit flooding . The MWRD handles stormwater management and wastewater treatment in the Chicago area, and issued an overflow action alert on Tuesday in an effort to prevent flooding by limiting how much water goes into the sewer system. On days like Wednesday, when it's constantly raining, the MWRD water waste control room stays on high alert. Officials said there have been more weather alerts in recent years. While it might not be the first thing on your mind when you wake up on a rainy day, running your dishwasher and washing clothes are chores the MWRD wants Chicagoans to avoid on Wednesday. "Also, take shorter showers; anything you can do to make sure we have more space available in those local sewer lines so that water can get to the MWRD," said MWRD president Kari Steele. The number of overflow action alerts issued by MWRD has been rising. "It's not that often, but it is picking up more now, because of climate change. We're starting to see more extreme rain events in the Cook County area," Steele said. The MWRD's Tunnel and Reservoir Plan, also known as TARP or "The Deep Tunnel," is designed to reduce flooding and pollution caused by combined sewer overflows. The Deep Tunnel system is designed to capture stormwater and sewage that otherwise would flow into local lakes and rivers – or into basements – when heavy rain overwhelms sewers. TARP has three reservoirs that receive and store the flow from the tunnels during heavy storms. "Our Thornton Reservoir is just at about 2% capacity full, and the McCook Reservoir is at about 20% capacity," Steele said. As of Wednesday morning, the Majewsi Reservoir near Elk Grove Village was empty, but with the rain event being unpredictable, that's why the MWRD sends out overflow action day alerts before storms arrive. "It's very important that we have space available in the local sewer lines so that it can travel to the MWRD and stay out of those unwanted places, like our basements," Steele said. The overflow action day alert will stay in effect until after the storm ends. Officials typically keep such alerts in place for several hours, or even day or two after a big storm ends since stormwater will continue flowing into sewers long after rainfall is over. The Tunnel and Reservoir Plan has been around since 1985. It has 109 miles of tunnels, some as large as 33 feet in diameter.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
MWRD, Forest Preserves partner in flood control study focused on southeast suburbs
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and Forest Preserves of Cook County are partnering in a flood relief study in the southeast suburbs that could bring a new reservoir. The two agencies announced a 20-month study to assess the potential for the district and forest preserves coordinating and sharing costs for the planning, design, construction and maintenance of a Deer Creek-Third Creek Reservoir. If feasible, the system would provide naturalized stormwater storage for flood-prone communities in Glenwood, Ford Heights, Lansing, Thornton, South Holland, Calumet City, Dolton and unincorporated areas. The proposed project could cover nearly a square mile area along Deer Creek and Third Creek within the Little Calumet River Watershed near Glenwood and Ford Heights, where stormwater storage can help mitigate increasing flooding concerns, according to the MWRD and forest preserve district. The reservoir would be located roughly near Cottage Grove Avenue between Glenwood Dyer Road and Lincoln Highway within the Deer Creek Watershed in Cook County, according to the MWRD, but many of the specifics will be researched during the study. The district said the reservoir might not be a single water-holding structure but could include adjacent wetlands, creeks, ponds and lakes. The MWRD said new rainfall data published by the Illinois State Water Survey in 2020 shows raised flood elevations along the Little Calumet River in South Holland, Dolton, Calumet City and Lansing. Flood waters from Deer Creek and Third Creek flow into Thorn Creek before reaching the Little Calumet River. Proposed channel improvements along Deer Creek would direct flood water into new flood storage areas adjacent to the creeks. The new stormwater conveyance and storage improvements would give the region more room to accommodate increasing stormwater demands, according to the MWRD and forest preserves district. The land in the project could potentially be larger than one square mile, which would accommodate more than 500 million gallons of naturalized stormwater storage, according to the agencies. In planning stormwater projects, the MWRD has said it looks at the increased frequency of major storm events in the Chicago area, including one-day and multiday storms that can overwhelm sewer systems in older communities. In some suburbs, combined sewer systems carrying both sanitary and storm water lead to a combination of backups of sewage and rainwater. As part of its Tunnel and Reservoir Plan, also referred to as Deep Tunnel, the MWRD built the Thornton Reservoir on the north side of Interstates 80/94 in South Holland. It was designed to divert both sanitary and stormwater flow from Chicago's South Side and south suburbs and has a capacity of just under 8 billion gallons. In September 2022, the district completed work on the Thorn Creek overflow tunnel that diverts stormwater from the creek into the reservoir. Along with the Thornton reservoir, the MWRD operates smaller reservoirs in Ford Heights, Hazel Crest, Lynwood, Markham and Tinley Park that have a combined capacity of just under 1 billion gallons and handle stormwater runoff from the Little Calumet River watershed. The proposed Deer Creek-Third Creek Reservoir has already received grant funding assistance through the American Rescue Plan Act, the federal government's COVID-19 assistance program, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the MWRD. The committed budget for the 20-month feasibility study is $1.7 million, excluding construction costs, according to the district. Between the resecue plan funds and FEMA, more than $1.2 million has been obligated to fund preliminary work, including the study, according to the district. The MWRD will pay for the remaining costs of the feasibility study, but the overall estimated cost of the project has not yet been determined. The MWRD and forest preserve district said they will continue to pursue additional funding assistance for future phases of the project. Once the feasibility study concludes in the fall of 2026, community meetings will be held to gather public input, according to the MWRD and forest preserve district. In June 2023, the MWRD authorized a negotiation of an intergovernmental agreement with the Forest Preserves to study flood control in the southeast suburbs. The agreement, formalized this past May, calls for the MWRD to pay for concept planning and preliminary engineering design while the Forest Preserves will pay for acquiring property.
Chicago Tribune
09-02-2025
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
MWRD, Forest Preserves partner in flood control study focused on southeast suburbs
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and Forest Preserves of Cook County are partnering in a flood relief study in the southeast suburbs that could bring a new reservoir. The two agencies announced a 20-month study to assess the potential for the district and forest preserves coordinating and sharing costs for the planning, design, construction and maintenance of a Deer Creek-Third Creek Reservoir. If feasible, the system would provide naturalized stormwater storage for flood-prone communities in Glenwood, Ford Heights, Lansing, Thornton, South Holland, Calumet City, Dolton and unincorporated areas. The proposed project could cover nearly a square mile area along Deer Creek and Third Creek within the Little Calumet River Watershed near Glenwood and Ford Heights, where stormwater storage can help mitigate increasing flooding concerns, according to the MWRD and forest preserve district. The reservoir would be located roughly near Cottage Grove Avenue between Glenwood Dyer Road and Lincoln Highway within the Deer Creek Watershed in Cook County, according to the MWRD, but many of the specifics will be researched during the study. The district said the reservoir might not be a single water-holding structure but could include adjacent wetlands, creeks, ponds and lakes. The MWRD said new rainfall data published by the Illinois State Water Survey in 2020 shows raised flood elevations along the Little Calumet River in South Holland, Dolton, Calumet City and Lansing. Flood waters from Deer Creek and Third Creek flow into Thorn Creek before reaching the Little Calumet River. Proposed channel improvements along Deer Creek would direct flood water into new flood storage areas adjacent to the creeks. The new stormwater conveyance and storage improvements would give the region more room to accommodate increasing stormwater demands, according to the MWRD and forest preserves district. The land in the project could potentially be larger than one square mile, which would accommodate more than 500 million gallons of naturalized stormwater storage, according to the agencies. In planning stormwater projects, the MWRD has said it looks at the increased frequency of major storm events in the Chicago area, including one-day and multiday storms that can overwhelm sewer systems in older communities. In some suburbs, combined sewer systems carrying both sanitary and storm water lead to a combination of backups of sewage and rainwater. As part of its Tunnel and Reservoir Plan, also referred to as Deep Tunnel, the MWRD built the Thornton Reservoir on the north side of Interstates 80/94 in South Holland. It was designed to divert both sanitary and stormwater flow from Chicago's South Side and south suburbs and has a capacity of just under 8 billion gallons. In September 2022, the district completed work on the Thorn Creek overflow tunnel that diverts stormwater from the creek into the reservoir. Along with the Thornton reservoir, the MWRD operates smaller reservoirs in Ford Heights, Hazel Crest, Lynwood, Markham and Tinley Park that have a combined capacity of just under 1 billion gallons and handle stormwater runoff from the Little Calumet River watershed. The proposed Deer Creek-Third Creek Reservoir has already received grant funding assistance through the American Rescue Plan Act, the federal government's COVID-19 assistance program, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the MWRD. The committed budget for the 20-month feasibility study is $1.7 million, excluding construction costs, according to the district. Between the resecue plan funds and FEMA, more than $1.2 million has been obligated to fund preliminary work, including the study, according to the district. The MWRD will pay for the remaining costs of the feasibility study, but the overall estimated cost of the project has not yet been determined. The MWRD and forest preserve district said they will continue to pursue additional funding assistance for future phases of the project. Once the feasibility study concludes in the fall of 2026, community meetings will be held to gather public input, according to the MWRD and forest preserve district. In June 2023, the MWRD authorized a negotiation of an intergovernmental agreement with the Forest Preserves to study flood control in the southeast suburbs.
