Upper Salt Creek Watershed
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About
The Upper Salt Creek Watershed is the northern portion of the Salt Creek Watershed that is located within northwestern Cook County. It drains an area of 55.3 square miles that includes 15 communities. The boundary was established this way for the purposes of MWRD's stormwater management program.
This watershed is composed of three distinct subwatersheds. The Arlington Heights branch covers the north and northeast portion of the watershed and flows directly into Salt Creek upstream of Algonquin Road in the City of Rolling Meadows. The West Branch covers the southwest portion of the watershed and joins Salt Creek at the Busse Woods Reservoir. The Salt Creek branch (i.e. Mainstem) covers the west and north west portion of the watershed. All branches merge at the Busse Woods Reservoir.
Stormwater capital improvements
The MWRD has more than 240 active and complete stormwater projects throughout Cook County. These improvements include regional and local stormwater projects, green infrastructure, Space to Grow, and voluntary flood-prone property acquisitions. To see what projects are active and complete in your watershed, see the map below.
Regional reservoirs
In conjunction with local municipalities, the MWRD operates five regional reservoirs located in this watershed, providing 2163 acre-feet (704.8 million gallons) of stormwater detention.
- Margreth Riemer Reservoir - Palatine, IL - 572 acre-feet
- Plum Grove Reservoir - Palatine, IL - 218 acre-feet
- St. Michael Reservoir - Rolling Meadows, IL - 407 acre-feet
- Tom T. Hamilton Reservoir - Palatine, IL - 537 acre-feet
- Twin Lakes Reservoir - Palatine, IL - 429 acre-feet
Additional infrastructure
The following MWRD infrastructure are also located within this watershed. Below, you can download a map of these facilities located throughout Cook County.
MWRD Facilities and Infrastructure Map
Wastewater treatment
This watershed is primarily served by the Egan Park Water Reclamation Plant, which can treat up to 50 million gallons of wastewater per day. To learn more about wastewater treatment and this facility, please visit the wastewater treatment webpage. We also offer both virtual or in-person tours of our facilities.