Inside View of Completed TARP Tunnel Outside Contruction of TARP Tunnel
The Nicholas J. Melas Centennial Fountain is located at McClurg Court and the Chicago River. It was built in 1989 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. The water arc goes off hourly during the summer months.
"I wanted to symbolize the natural phenomenon of water — how it comes from one source, spreads, and goes back to another."
– Dirk Lohan, Designer
The District has built five Sidestream Elevated Pool Aeration (SEPA) stations along the Calumet River and the Cal-Sag Channel. Each SEPA station provides additional oxygen to the waterways, providing a healthier environment for fish and other aquatic life. Since the first portion of the Deep Tunnel became operational in 1985, the tunnels have captured hundreds of billions of gallons of combined sewer overflows that otherwise would have gone into local waterways. The main goals of the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) are to protect Lake Michigan, the region's drinking water supply, from raw sewage pollution, to improve the water quality of area rivers and streams and provide an outlet for floodwater to reduce street and basement sewage backup. Construction of the District's 109 miles of tunnels, part of the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP), will be complete in 2006. The tunnels are constructed between 200 and 300 feet below ground, and provide an outlet for combined sewer overflows in the 375 square mile area that has combined sewers.
The Nicholas J. Melas Centennial Fountain is located at McClurg Court and the Chicago River. It was built in 1989 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. The water arc goes off hourly during the summer months.
"I wanted to symbolize the natural phenomenon of water — how it comes from one source, spreads, and goes back to another."
– Dirk Lohan, Designer
|
