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Small Stream Maintenance Program August 11,
2006 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Implements a Small Stream Maintenance Program
Terrence J. O’Brien, President of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (District), announced today that the District will implement a Small Stream Maintenance Program to provide stream cleaning services. The District will remove debris and fallen trees within streams that impede the flow of the stream and cause flooding. Commissioner James C. Harris, Chairman of the Committee on Flood Control, said, “Since the passage of the Stormwater Management Act in 2004, the District has worked on a plan to address the problem of small steam maintenance. The District will establish a phone number and a web page to receive and log all stream cleaning requests. These requests will be addressed to the extent that the flow of the creek is impeded. We are confident that the regular clearing of debris and trees will provide real relief to the communities that experience overbank flooding.” The District staff estimates that there are approximately 1000 miles of small streams in Cook County: 300 miles in the north service area, 300 miles in the west service area and 400 miles in the south service area. A survey to determine maintenance needs will be conducted on these streams this winter. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago collects and treats wastewater from more than five million people and the industrial equivalent of another 4.5 million people in Cook County. The District also operates the Deep Tunnel Project to collect and treat sewer overflows, and provides stormwater management for all of Cook County. The District’s 2006 budget is $1 billion. The District’s web address is www.mwrd.org. |