Photo highlights from Water and Wastes Digest, Water Quality Products, and Stormwater Solutions magazine staff site visit with Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC)

1. Chicago Mainstream
Pumping Station Tour
Photo Highlights From WWD, WQP and SWS Staff Site Visit With
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC)
By Neda Simeonova
Caitlin Cunningham
Elizabeth Lisican
Kate Cline

2. Mainstream Pumping Station
The Mainstream Pumping Station
in Hodgkins, Ill., is one of three
stations within the Tunnel and
Reservoir Plan (TARP, also known
as Deep Tunnel). Here tour leader
and Chief Operating Engineer
Henry Marks explains the system.

3. Mainstream Pumping Station
(continued)
After learning all about the TARP project’s rich history dating back to
1972, editorial staff members eagerly gear up and set out to
experience Mainstream Pumping Station up close. The first stop on the
tour is a short drive from the main facility at the dewatering station,
where we are about to travel underground.

4. Dewatering
Station
The Mainstream System is
comprised of dozens of miles of
tunnel with diameters ranging
from 8 to 33 ft and depths up to
300 ft underground. The Deep
Tunnel was designed to prevent
backflows into Lake Michigan,
eliminate waterway pollution
caused by combined sewer
overflows and provide an outlet
for floodwaters.

5. Dewatering Station (continued)
Sewage and storm water
entering the tunnels through
drop shafts are carried to the
Mainstream Pumping Station,
where the flow is pumped to
the Stickney Water
Reclamation Plant.

6. Dewatering Station (continued)
Marks guides the editorial
staff as we descend via
elevator into the
dewatering station.

7. Trash Removal
Sewage is screened in the Trash
Removal room to remove all
large objects carried in the waste
stream.

8. Pump House
Next, we head to the pump house and
descend once again, this time all the
way down 350 ft below ground. The
Mainstream Pumping Station is the
largest underground sewage pumping
station in the world.

9. Pump House (continued)
Editors view all four pumps from atop
the pump house.

10. McCook Reservoir
McCook Reservoir is under
construction. When complete,
it will have a total capacity of
10 billion gal. Phase I of this
reservoir is scheduled to
finish by 2017. The other
reservoirs within TARP are the
O’Hare CUP Reservoir and
Thornton Composite
Reservoir.

11. McCook Reservoir (continued)

12. Biosolids
MWRDGC aims to produce high-
quality biosolids that can be put to
productive use in golf courses,
athletic fields and parks. Farmers in
the Chicagoland area use the
biosolids to save money that would
go into commercial fertilizer.

13. Visit us at:
Water Wastes Digest
•Site: wwdmag.com
•Twitter
•Facebook
Water Quality Products
•Site: wqpmag.com
•Twitter
Stormwater Solutions
•Site: estormwater.com
•Twitter
•Facebook