'City officials unveil underground stormwater storage units to reduce flooding on West Side,' CBS 2 Chicago

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Chicago leaders on Tuesday unveiled new equipment that they hope can prevent flooding on the city's West Side.

Officials from the Chicago Department of Water Management and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, along with Mayor Brandon Johnson, touted underground storage tanks recently installed on Le Moyne Street between Luna and Lorel avenues in Chicago's North Austin neighborhood.

The pilot program is part of a $12 million investment to strengthen flood protection and stormwater infrastructure. When it is completed this fall, a series of concrete blocks will connect 15 feet underground to create storage tanks to catch floodwater.

Just one of the square tanks can hold more than 6,000 gallons of water, and more than 200 are going underground.

Altogether, the tanks can store nearly 1.7 million gallons of water that will be diverted from streets and basements.

"This will reduce that risk," said Chicago Department of Water Management Deputy Commissioner Brendan Schreiber. "We cannot eliminate it."

The way the system, called Wing Storage, works is that the underground holding tanks collect stormwater and gradually release it into the sewer system as capacity becomes available. This prevents backup into basements, and expands stormwater capacity without large above-ground infrastructure.

Schreiber said the work is a priority for his department.

"These are going to be more of what we're going to be seeing more and more coming out of the city's planning efforts, because these projects are what are going to be addressing what we're seeing as the result of those storms," he said.

Officials said the West Side neighborhoods of North and South Austin, West Garfield Park, and Galewood will all benefit from the installation of the tanks.

"We're trying to be as innovative as we can when it comes to stormwater management," Schreiber said.

The $12 million investment toward the tanks comes jointly from the city Water Department and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

"There's not a one-size-fits-all solution to flooding," said MWRD senior civil engineer Justin Kirk. "We have, MWRD has the Deep Tunnel, and the reservoirs that filled up this past weekend."

City leaders confirmed two massive reservoirs located outside the city are almost completely out of space. They're almost filled to the brim with 13 billion gallons of water thanks to repeated storms.

The goal of the West Side underground tank project, officials said, is to improve drainage and bolster climate resilience while keeping environmental equity in mind. The changing climate means heavier rain events and more extreme weather that affects parts of the city differently.

The West Side has been bearing the brunt of flooding issues in Chicago, according to researchers. Record rainfall overwhelmed aging sewer systems in July 2023. Water had no place to go but inside people's homes.

"This area was hardest hit in the summer of 2023, and the city decided to advance these types of projects shortly after," said Kirk.

This past July 4th weekend, one to two months' worth of rain fell.

While community leaders like Princess Shaw are happy to see work like this happening here on Chicago's West Side, she said it is all coming a little late.

"A lot of the plans the city has, we are grateful for," Shaw said. "But at the end of the day, it is well past time."

Shaw is involved in both local and national groups advocating for the West Side and the state.

"We need to stop thinking for present-day, and start thinking present-day and future," she said.

Shaw and other advocates want to see more preventative work done.

"We need to start thinking in the capacity of 20 to 25 years," Shaw said, "especially with the sewer systems being almost 100 years old."

Some of the people who live on the West Side are still dealing with damage to their homes after those historic storms three years ago. Meanwhile, this past July 4th weekend, one to two months' worth of rain fell.

"As painful as that may have been, your community's feedback is what helped us focus on flooding hotspots," said Kari Steele, president of the MWRD.

Chicago Department of Water Management Commissioner Randy Conner said flooding is not at all new to the city, but the city has experienced an unusual amount.

"Communities cannot rely on yesterday's infrastructure to address tomorrow's severe weather changes," Conner said.

City leaders tell us they're committed to continuing infrastructure improvements like the West Side underground tanks across Chicago, with this work on the tanks to wrap up this year.

"This project will definitely be a help, and there's more to come," Schreiber said. "This will not be the end for what we're going to be doing to address flooding on the West Side."

Over time, the city and the MWRD will evaluate the Wing Storage pilot program to help inform future flood mitigation projects and build infrastructure that will stand up to more severe weather as a consequence of climate change.

"It's been exciting to be part of kind of a new solution we haven't really tried before," Kirk said.

Meanwhile, to address the more immediate issue of heavy rains this week, the head of Chicago's water department has crews cleaning out catch basins. They're also installing devices that'll slow the flow of water into sewers, which could mean you see water in the streets.