The McCook Reservoir significantly reduces overland and basement flooding, protecting 146,600 structures. It also improves the quality of area waterways by significantly reducing untreated sewage back flow into Lake Michigan and by storing combined sewer overflow during floods before releasing the waters to the Stickney wastewater treatment plant.
The project involves construction of a 10-billion-gallon reservoir divided into two stages. The reservoir is being constructed in the non-federal sponsor’s existing solids processing lagoons site. Major components include distribution and main tunnels; dewatering pumps; gates; valves; hydraulic structures; aquifer protection; and an aeration system.
The project sponsor is constructing the remaining components of Stage 2 of the reservoir under Section 1043 of WRRDA 2014.