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Tunnel and Reservoir Plan

January 01, 1970

The Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (abbreviated TARP and more commonly known as the Deep Tunnel Project or the Chicago Deep Tunnel) is a large civil engineering project that aims to reduce flooding in the metropolitan Chicago area, and to reduce the harmful effects of flushing raw sewage into Lake Michigan by diverting storm water and sewage into temporary holding reservoirs. The megaproject is one of the largest civil engineering projects ever undertaken in terms of scope, cost and timeframe. Commissioned in the mid-1970s, the project is managed by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Completion of the system is not anticipated until 2029,[1] but substantial portions of the system have already opened and are currently operational. Across 30 years of construction, over $3 billion has been spent on the project.[2]

Aerial view of Phase II of the McCook Reservoir under construction in 2023

History edit

19th century edit

The Deep Tunnel Project is the latest in a series of civil engineering projects dating back to 1834. Many of the problems experienced by the city of Chicago are directly related to its low level topography and the fact that the city is largely built upon marsh or wet prairie. This combined with a temperate wet climate and the human development of open land, leads to substantial water runoff. Lake Michigan was ineffective in carrying sewage away from the city, and in the event of a rainstorm, the water pumps that provided drinking water to Chicagoans became contaminated with sewage. Though no epidemics were caused by this system (see Chicago 1885 cholera epidemic myth), it soon became clear that the sewage system needed to be diverted to flow away from Lake Michigan in order to handle an increasing population's sanitation needs. [dubious – discuss]

Between 1864 and 1867, under the leadership of Ellis S. Chesbrough, the city built the two-mile Chicago lake tunnel to a new water intake location farther from the shore. Crews began from the intake location and the shore, tunneling in two shifts a day. Clay and earth were drawn away by mule-drawn railcars. Masons lined the five-foot-diameter tunnel with two layers of brick. The lake and shore crews met in November 1866, less than seven inches out of alignment. A second tunnel was added in 1874.[3]

In 1871, the deepening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal was completed to reverse the flow of the Chicago River to drain diluted sewage southwest away from Lake Michigan. However, the canal only had the capacity to drain to the Des Plaines River during dry weather; during heavy rains, the Des Plaines would flood and overflow into the canal, reversing its flow back into the lake.[4] In 1900, to improve general health standards, the flow of the main branch of the Chicago River was permanently reversed with the construction of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. This further improved the sanitation of Lake Michigan and helped to prevent further waterborne epidemic scares.

20th century edit

The construction of the Sanitary and Ship Canal (1892–1900), enlargements to the North Shore Channel (1907–1910), the construction of the Cal-Sag Channel (1911–1922), and the construction of locks at the mouth of the Chicago River (1933–1938) brought further improvements to the sanitary issues of the time. These projects blocked further amounts of sewage from draining into Lake Michigan. The projects also brought fresh lake water to inland waterways to further dilute sewage that was already in the waterways.

Surrounding farmland also engaged in flood control projects. The Illinois Farm Drainage Act of 1879 established drainage districts. These districts were generally named for the basin they drained—for example, the Fox River Drainage District. After World War II, suburban communities began to realize the benefits of separating stormwater from sewage water and began to construct separate sewer and storm drainage lines. The primary benefit of wastestream separation is that storm water requires less treatment than sewage before being returned to the environment.

Flood damage grew markedly after 1938, when surrounding natural drainage areas were lost to development and human activity. Serious flooding has occurred in the Chicago metropolitan area in 1849, 1855, 1885, 1938, 1952, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1973, 1979, 1986, 1987, 1996, 2007, and 2008—but most record-setting crests occurred after 1948.

In the 1960s, the concept of Deep Tunnel was studied and recommended as a solution to continuing flooding issues.

Status edit

Phase 1, the creation of 109.4 mi (176.1 km) of drainage tunnels ranging from 9 to 33 ft (2.7 to 10.1 m) in diameter, up to 350 ft (110 m) underground, was adopted in 1972, commenced in 1975, and completed and operational by 2006. Phase 2, creation of reservoirs primarily intended for flood control, remains underway with an expected completion date of 2029. Currently, up to 2.3×10^9 US gal (8.7×10^9 L) of sewage can be stored and held in the tunnels themselves while awaiting processing at sewage treatment plants, which release treated water into the Calumet and Des Plaines rivers.[5]

Additional sewage is stored at the 7.9×10^9 US gal (30×10^9 L) Thornton Composite Reservoir, and the 350×10^6 US gal (1,300×10^6 L) Gloria Alitto Majewski Reservoir near O'Hare International Airport. The 3.5×10^9 US gal (13×10^9 L) McCook Reservoir was completed in 2017 and will be expanded to 10×10^9 US gal (38×10^9 L) by 2029.[6][7] Because the reservoirs are decommissioned quarries, construction has been delayed by decreased demand for the quarried gravel. Upon completion, the TARP system will have a storage capacity of 17.5×10^9 US gal (66×10^9 L).

Reservoirs edit

Name Location Coordinates Maximum Capacity
(gallons) 		Status Notes
Gloria Alitto Majewski Reservoir Elk Grove Village, IL 42°01′03″N 87°56′42″W / 42.01750°N 87.94500°W / 42.01750; -87.94500 (Gloria Alitto Majewski Reservoir) 350,000,000 Completed in 1998.[8]
McCook Reservoir McCook, IL 41°46′22″N 87°50′24″W / 41.77278°N 87.84000°W / 41.77278; -87.84000 (McCook Reservoir) 3,500,000,000 First phase completed in 2017.[9] Second phase will expand the reservoir's capacity to 10 billion gallons by 2029.
Thornton Composite Reservoir Thornton, IL 41°34′55″N 87°37′05″W / 41.58194°N 87.61806°W / 41.58194; -87.61806 (Thornton Composite Reservoir) 7,900,000,000 Completed in 2015. Formerly part of Thornton Quarry.

Effects edit

Severe weather events have forced water management agencies to pump excess wastewater into the lake and river in order to prevent flooding. These incidents have decreased in frequency as more of the Deep Tunnel system has become operational. Long considered an open sewer, the Chicago River now hosts more than 60 fish species and increased wildlife along its shores. Substantial development is occurring along many portions of the riverfront. Canoeing is once again allowed on the waterway, but swimming is still prohibited due to high pollution levels.

On October 3, 1986, a heavy thunderstorm drenched the southern portion of the Deep Tunnel area with several inches of rain in a short period of time. While the Deep Tunnel system performed satisfactorily by absorbing excess water, water within the system itself rushed past the north side of Chicago and near the Bahá'í Temple in Wilmette. Geysers of over 65 ft (20 m) were reported in both locations for up to an hour as the water was redistributed more evenly through the system. A 30 ft (9 m) geyser erupted downtown at the corner of Jefferson and Monroe, trapping a woman inside her car as it filled with water.[10] A system of watertight bulkheads has since been installed to prevent the event from occurring again.

During the Chicago Flood of 1992, the water from the Chicago River that leaked into the long-disused underground freight tunnel system was eventually drained into the Deep Tunnel network, which itself was still under construction.[citation needed]

Since the tunnels became operational, combined sewer overflows have been reduced from an average of 100 days per year to 50. Since Thornton Reservoir came online in 2015 combined sewer overflows have been nearly eliminated.[11]

Sources edit

  • Horan, Deborah (March 14, 2005). "Deep Tunnel, Deep Ties". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
  • . American Underground Construction Association. August 1999. Archived from the original on 2000-08-23. Retrieved December 23, 2005.
  • . Village of South Holland. Archived from the original on 2013-09-19. Retrieved December 23, 2005.
  • Schmidt, Elaine (August 2004). . McGraw-Hill Construction. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved December 23, 2005.
  • "Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP)". The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  • Jones, Steve; Waller, John (2006). (Report). Chicago Public Library. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29.

References edit

  1. ^ Lydersen, Kari (2011-05-17). . Chicago News Cooperative. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  2. ^ Sanders, Steve (2005-10-10). . WGN-TV. Archived from the original on 2005-11-05. Retrieved 2005-12-23.
  3. ^ Chicago Department of Public Works. Chicago Public Works: A History. 1973.
  4. ^ Capano, Daniel E. "Chicago's War With Water: On its way to pioneering our modern sewer system, Chicago survived epidemics, floods, and countless bad plans". www.inventionandtech.com. American Heritage's Invention & Technology. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  5. ^ "TARP at 50: How one of the world's largest public works projects for water has protected the Chicago region" (PDF). Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  6. ^ Hawthorne, Michael (December 4, 2017). "McCook Reservoir to open soon, holding sewage and runoff until storms pass". Chicago Tribune. from the original on 2018-11-30. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  7. ^ "McCook Reservoir to Greatly Boost Flood Storage Capacity". Tunnel Business Magazine. January 1, 2018. from the original on 2018-11-30. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  8. ^ "Massive New Reservoir To Help Alleviate Chicago Area Flooding". CBS Chicago. 1 September 2015. from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  9. ^ Meincke, Paul (4 December 2017). "McCook Reservoir opens, seeks to alleviate flooding". ABC Chicago. from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  10. ^ Karwath, Rob (1986-10-17). "Tunnel's Geyser Effect Still Puzzling". Chicago Tribune. from the original on 2018-08-04. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
  11. ^ "TARP Fact Sheet" (PDF). Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. n.d. Retrieved 22 March 2023.

External links edit

  • Set of photos of the Morrison Knudsen segment of the tunnel
  • Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
  • Video of TARP on YouTube
  • Video of TARP on YouTube
  • Article and map in the Encyclopedia of Chicago

January 01, 1970
tunnel, reservoir, plan, abbreviated, tarp, more, commonly, known, deep, tunnel, project, chicago, deep, tunnel, large, civil, engineering, project, that, aims, reduce, flooding, metropolitan, chicago, area, reduce, harmful, effects, flushing, sewage, into, la. The Tunnel and Reservoir Plan abbreviated TARP and more commonly known as the Deep Tunnel Project or the Chicago Deep Tunnel is a large civil engineering project that aims to reduce flooding in the metropolitan Chicago area and to reduce the harmful effects of flushing raw sewage into Lake Michigan by diverting storm water and sewage into temporary holding reservoirs The megaproject is one of the largest civil engineering projects ever undertaken in terms of scope cost and timeframe Commissioned in the mid 1970s the project is managed by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Completion of the system is not anticipated until 2029 1 but substantial portions of the system have already opened and are currently operational Across 30 years of construction over 3 billion has been spent on the project 2 Aerial view of Phase II of the McCook Reservoir under construction in 2023 Contents 1 History 1 1 19th century 1 2 20th century 2 Status 3 Reservoirs 4 Effects 5 Sources 6 References 7 External linksHistory edit19th century edit The Deep Tunnel Project is the latest in a series of civil engineering projects dating back to 1834 Many of the problems experienced by the city of Chicago are directly related to its low level topography and the fact that the city is largely built upon marsh or wet prairie This combined with a temperate wet climate and the human development of open land leads to substantial water runoff Lake Michigan was ineffective in carrying sewage away from the city and in the event of a rainstorm the water pumps that provided drinking water to Chicagoans became contaminated with sewage Though no epidemics were caused by this system see Chicago 1885 cholera epidemic myth it soon became clear that the sewage system needed to be diverted to flow away from Lake Michigan in order to handle an increasing population s sanitation needs dubious discuss Between 1864 and 1867 under the leadership of Ellis S Chesbrough the city built the two mile Chicago lake tunnel to a new water intake location farther from the shore Crews began from the intake location and the shore tunneling in two shifts a day Clay and earth were drawn away by mule drawn railcars Masons lined the five foot diameter tunnel with two layers of brick The lake and shore crews met in November 1866 less than seven inches out of alignment A second tunnel was added in 1874 3 In 1871 the deepening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal was completed to reverse the flow of the Chicago River to drain diluted sewage southwest away from Lake Michigan However the canal only had the capacity to drain to the Des Plaines River during dry weather during heavy rains the Des Plaines would flood and overflow into the canal reversing its flow back into the lake 4 In 1900 to improve general health standards the flow of the main branch of the Chicago River was permanently reversed with the construction of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal This further improved the sanitation of Lake Michigan and helped to prevent further waterborne epidemic scares 20th century edit The construction of the Sanitary and Ship Canal 1892 1900 enlargements to the North Shore Channel 1907 1910 the construction of the Cal Sag Channel 1911 1922 and the construction of locks at the mouth of the Chicago River 1933 1938 brought further improvements to the sanitary issues of the time These projects blocked further amounts of sewage from draining into Lake Michigan The projects also brought fresh lake water to inland waterways to further dilute sewage that was already in the waterways Surrounding farmland also engaged in flood control projects The Illinois Farm Drainage Act of 1879 established drainage districts These districts were generally named for the basin they drained for example the Fox River Drainage District After World War II suburban communities began to realize the benefits of separating stormwater from sewage water and began to construct separate sewer and storm drainage lines The primary benefit of wastestream separation is that storm water requires less treatment than sewage before being returned to the environment Flood damage grew markedly after 1938 when surrounding natural drainage areas were lost to development and human activity Serious flooding has occurred in the Chicago metropolitan area in 1849 1855 1885 1938 1952 1954 1957 1961 1973 1979 1986 1987 1996 2007 and 2008 but most record setting crests occurred after 1948 In the 1960s the concept of Deep Tunnel was studied and recommended as a solution to continuing flooding issues Status editPhase 1 the creation of 109 4 mi 176 1 km of drainage tunnels ranging from 9 to 33 ft 2 7 to 10 1 m in diameter up to 350 ft 110 m underground was adopted in 1972 commenced in 1975 and completed and operational by 2006 Phase 2 creation of reservoirs primarily intended for flood control remains underway with an expected completion date of 2029 Currently up to 2 3 10 9 US gal 8 7 10 9 L of sewage can be stored and held in the tunnels themselves while awaiting processing at sewage treatment plants which release treated water into the Calumet and Des Plaines rivers 5 Additional sewage is stored at the 7 9 10 9 US gal 30 10 9 L Thornton Composite Reservoir and the 350 10 6 US gal 1 300 10 6 L Gloria Alitto Majewski Reservoir near O Hare International Airport The 3 5 10 9 US gal 13 10 9 L McCook Reservoir was completed in 2017 and will be expanded to 10 10 9 US gal 38 10 9 L by 2029 6 7 Because the reservoirs are decommissioned quarries construction has been delayed by decreased demand for the quarried gravel Upon completion the TARP system will have a storage capacity of 17 5 10 9 US gal 66 10 9 L Reservoirs editName Location Coordinates Maximum Capacity gallons Status Notes Gloria Alitto Majewski Reservoir Elk Grove Village IL 42 01 03 N 87 56 42 W 42 01750 N 87 94500 W 42 01750 87 94500 Gloria Alitto Majewski Reservoir 350 000 000 Completed in 1998 8 McCook Reservoir McCook IL 41 46 22 N 87 50 24 W 41 77278 N 87 84000 W 41 77278 87 84000 McCook Reservoir 3 500 000 000 First phase completed in 2017 9 Second phase will expand the reservoir s capacity to 10 billion gallons by 2029 Thornton Composite Reservoir Thornton IL 41 34 55 N 87 37 05 W 41 58194 N 87 61806 W 41 58194 87 61806 Thornton Composite Reservoir 7 900 000 000 Completed in 2015 Formerly part of Thornton Quarry Effects editSevere weather events have forced water management agencies to pump excess wastewater into the lake and river in order to prevent flooding These incidents have decreased in frequency as more of the Deep Tunnel system has become operational Long considered an open sewer the Chicago River now hosts more than 60 fish species and increased wildlife along its shores Substantial development is occurring along many portions of the riverfront Canoeing is once again allowed on the waterway but swimming is still prohibited due to high pollution levels On October 3 1986 a heavy thunderstorm drenched the southern portion of the Deep Tunnel area with several inches of rain in a short period of time While the Deep Tunnel system performed satisfactorily by absorbing excess water water within the system itself rushed past the north side of Chicago and near the Baha i Temple in Wilmette Geysers of over 65 ft 20 m were reported in both locations for up to an hour as the water was redistributed more evenly through the system A 30 ft 9 m geyser erupted downtown at the corner of Jefferson and Monroe trapping a woman inside her car as it filled with water 10 A system of watertight bulkheads has since been installed to prevent the event from occurring again During the Chicago Flood of 1992 the water from the Chicago River that leaked into the long disused underground freight tunnel system was eventually drained into the Deep Tunnel network which itself was still under construction citation needed Since the tunnels became operational combined sewer overflows have been reduced from an average of 100 days per year to 50 Since Thornton Reservoir came online in 2015 combined sewer overflows have been nearly eliminated 11 Sources editHoran Deborah March 14 2005 Deep Tunnel Deep Ties Chicago Tribune Retrieved 2021 08 04 Featured Underground TARP Torrence Avenue Tunnel American Underground Construction Association August 1999 Archived from the original on 2000 08 23 Retrieved December 23 2005 Deep Tunnel Project Village of South Holland Archived from the original on 2013 09 19 Retrieved December 23 2005 Schmidt Elaine August 2004 Chicago s Tunnel Reservoir Plan McGraw Hill Construction Archived from the original on 2011 07 17 Retrieved December 23 2005 Tunnel and Reservoir Plan TARP The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Retrieved July 30 2021 Jones Steve Waller John 2006 Down the Drain Five Deep Tunnel Report Chicago Public Library Archived from the original on 2007 09 29 References edit Lydersen Kari 2011 05 17 Chicago River on National Endangered List Chicago News Cooperative Archived from the original on 15 March 2012 Retrieved 2011 06 06 Sanders Steve 2005 10 10 WGN TV CoverStories Deep Tunnel WGN TV Archived from the original on 2005 11 05 Retrieved 2005 12 23 Chicago Department of Public Works Chicago Public Works A History 1973 Capano Daniel E Chicago s War With Water On its way to pioneering our modern sewer system Chicago survived epidemics floods and countless bad plans www inventionandtech com American Heritage s Invention amp Technology Retrieved 4 August 2023 TARP at 50 How one of the world s largest public works projects for water has protected the Chicago region PDF Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago 31 October 2022 Retrieved 7 June 2023 Hawthorne Michael December 4 2017 McCook Reservoir to open soon holding sewage and runoff until storms pass Chicago Tribune Archived from the original on 2018 11 30 Retrieved 2018 11 29 McCook Reservoir to Greatly Boost Flood Storage Capacity Tunnel Business Magazine January 1 2018 Archived from the original on 2018 11 30 Retrieved 2018 11 29 Massive New Reservoir To Help Alleviate Chicago Area Flooding CBS Chicago 1 September 2015 Archived from the original on 3 September 2019 Retrieved 28 August 2019 Meincke Paul 4 December 2017 McCook Reservoir opens seeks to alleviate flooding ABC Chicago Archived from the original on 3 September 2019 Retrieved 28 August 2019 Karwath Rob 1986 10 17 Tunnel s Geyser Effect Still Puzzling Chicago Tribune Archived from the original on 2018 08 04 Retrieved 2017 07 04 TARP Fact Sheet PDF Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago n d Retrieved 22 March 2023 External links editSet of photos of the Morrison Knudsen segment of the tunnel Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Video of TARP on YouTube Video of TARP on YouTube Article and map in the Encyclopedia of Chicago Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tunnel and Reservoir Plan amp oldid 1198361354, 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