How deep is the deep tunnel in Chicago?
Begun in 1975, and at one time the nation’s largest municipal water pollution control project, it involves the construction of 109 miles (174 kilometers) of tunnels 9 to 33 feet (3 to 10 meters) in diameter excavated in dolomitic limestone bedrock as much as 350 feet (107 meters) below the surface.
How big is the deep tunnel?
Altogether, 109 miles of subway-size tunnel lie beneath Chicago and its suburbs, covering more miles than the L, culminating in three suburban reservoirs (not the kind you drink from).
What is the purpose of the Deep Tunnel?
The MWRD’s Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) or “Deep Tunnel” system is designed to reduce flooding and pollution caused by combined sewer overflows. TARP tunnels act like very large intercepting sewers, capturing the excess flow from the combined sewers before it can reach the waterway.
Is Chicago built on water?
In the middle of the 19th century, Chicago was not the shining, modern metropolis it is today. The city was only 4 feet above Lake Michigan at most, built on a swamp. Pools of standing water formed all over the city.
Is there a hidden city under Chicago?
There are at least six hidden tunnels beneath Chicago that all serve a different purpose. Not everyone knows these tunnels exist. This system of passageways connects about 50 office buildings, shopping centers, parking areas, and train stations in the Chicago downtown area.
How far under Lake Michigan did they sink the water tunnel?
The story of Chicago’s water system is a story of adventure. It is a saga of long struggle for an elemental need against elemental forces—of dynamiting some six miles through solid rock 150 feet below the bottom of Lake Michigan, of building great pumps.
Why is the Chicago River so blue?
The Chicago river has a distinctive color (and I don’t mean St. Patrick’s Day green) that is the result of the river’s clay bottom, lake water, and algae: a lovely blue-green, best seen on warm weather days. (The lake water has only been part of the river’s composition since the river was reversed in 1900.)
Can ocean going ships reach Chicago?
The waterway allows passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the inland port of Duluth on Lake Superior, a distance of 2,340 miles (3,770 km) and to Chicago, on Lake Michigan, at 2,250 miles (3,620 km).
What is the deep tunnel system in Chicago?
Deep Tunnel. Deep Tunnel System, 2003 (Map) The $4 billion Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP), better known as “The Deep Tunnel,” is the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago’s answer to water pollution and sewer backup problems in 52 municipalities in Cook County.
What was the purpose of the Deep Tunnel?
The Deep Tunnel is designed to reduce and nearly eliminate the release of untreated water to streams, Lake Michigan, and people’s basements. American Society of Civil Engineers. “The Tunnel That Cleaned Up Chicago.” Civil Engineering, July 1986.
What is the tunnel and Reservoir Plan?
Unmatched in size throughout the world, the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) works to protect and improve area waterways and reduce flooding throughout Cook County. TARP is one of the country’s largest public works projects for pollution and flood control.
How many miles of tunnels does TARP have?
TARP includes four tunnel systems totaling 109 miles of tunnels, 8 to 33 feet in diameter and 150 to 300 feet underground. The four TARP tunnel systems capture and convey combined sewage and stormwater to the Majewski Reservoir, Thornton Composite Reservoir and McCook Reservoir (Stage I).