Mainstream Pumping Station:
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| MWRD |
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| MWRD from DNAinfo The Calumet TARP Pumping Station is the lowest point of the TARP System and lowest point in Chicago. |
TARP stands for "Tunnel and Reservoir Plan," which according to MWRD was adopted in 1972 to "comply with federal and state water quality standards in the 375 square miles combined sewer area consisting of Chicago and 51 suburbs." It is more commonly known as the Deep Tunnel project. [DNAinfo]My wife and I toured the Mainstream Pumping Station before it went online. We were also able to walk into the tunnel that feeds it. After it went online, I'm sure they keep the tunnel part sealed off since it is a BIG sewer. That station was also was below 300' because the tunnels are deep so that they travel through solid sedimentary rock their whole distance. It is easier to use a Tunnel Boring Machine in rock rather than in sand or clay. And sedimentary rock is relatively soft compared to igneous or metamorphic rock.
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Update:
MWRD posted four photos with the comment:
We welcomed the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Illinois Section today for a tour of the MWRD's Mainstream Pumping Station, visiting 300 feet below Lake Michigan to see the massive pumps that keep water flowing throughout Chicago and keeping the region dry. The circle, 33 feet in diameter, where the group passed through, represents the dimensions of the MWRD's Tunnel and Reservoir Plan's Deep Tunnel. The engineers then visited the McCook Reservoir from above the east rim. The reservoir is currently under construction and, when completed, it will have a total capacity of 10 billion gallons, providing more than $114 million per year in flood damage reduction benefits to 3.1 million people in 37 communities. The reservoir will be the largest of its kind once complete, large enough to contain 11 Soldier Fields. The first phase of the reservoir is due to be complete by the end of 2017.[But none of the pictures show any pumps or electric motors. Bummer.]
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| Satellite, Main Pumping Station |
I took a tour of Phase I of the McCook reservoir and asked some questions. The Mainstream Pumping Station now has two pump houses, four pumps in each house. Their largest pump is 17,500hp and lifts water 300 feet with a 14" pipe. The two different feeds are 138,000 volts, which is stepped down to 13,200 volts for the pump motors.
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| MWRD posted Special Unit Rescue Team Rappels Down MWRD Infrastructure Pump station, drop shafts offer emergency response units an ideal training site In the realm of emergency response training, accessing treacherous environments like skyscrapers and abandoned elevator shafts can pose significant challenges. However, in its role as a government utility dedicated to water quality and flood mitigation, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago’s (MWRD’s) Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) emerges as an invaluable training terrain for specialized units. The MWRD recently welcomed dozens of acrobatic firefighters from different departments that are part of the Technical Rescue Team made up of special units from the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) from Divisions 10 and 21. These divisions, representing fire departments ranging from Westmont to Forest View and Bedford Park to Oak Lawn, rappelled down a TARP drop shaft at the MWRD’s Mainstream Pumping Station in Hodgkins. The Pleasantview Fire Protection District coordinated the training. The drop shaft, which is used to ventilate the Deep Tunnel, also allows the MWRD to move equipment down by crane to the tunnel system 300 feet below ground. “These trainings remind us of the dangerous conditions that our firefighters and other emergency responders are thrust into at a moment’s notice,” said MWRD President Kari K. Steele. “We were fortunate to host dozens of responders in training and give them a unique site to put their brave skills to the test.” The MWRD’s Mainstream Pumping Station in Hodgkins is one of three stations in the TARP system designed to capture combined sewer overflows from an area of 360 square miles. TARP provides an outlet for floodwaters and protects waterways and Lake Michigan from pollution caused by combined sewer overflows. Because of TARP, flooding has been mitigated and area water quality is thriving. Since the tunnels went in service in the mid-1980s, the MWRD estimates it has captured over 1 trillion gallons of combined stormwater and sewage that otherwise would have polluted local waterways and flooded basements and streets. The Mainstream Pumping Station is an integral part of these important operations. It serves both the Mainstream Tunnel System (40.5 miles long) and Des Plaines Tunnel System (25.6 miles). Both tunnel systems are located between 50 and 300 feet underground. Sewage and stormwater entering the tunnels through drop shafts from sewers are carried to the Mainstream station, where the flow is pumped to the MWRD’s Stickney Water Reclamation Plant for treatment. “By welcoming emergency responders inside our facilities for training exercises, we are giving them an opportunity to practice for difficult circumstances and also educating ourselves on how to be prepared for emergency situations in large facilities,” said MWRD Commissioner Daniel Pogorzelski. “Thank you to the Pleasantview Fire Protection District and the special units from MABAS Divisions 10 and 21 for their skill, sacrifice and support.” Pleasantview Fire Protection District MABAS-Illinois #MWRD #CookCounty #Hodgkins #HodgkinsIL Commissioner Kari K. Steele Commissioner Daniel Pogorzelski |
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