Costly Deep Tunnel flooding project can’t handle Chicago area’s severe storms fueled by climate change
Hours before heavy rains swamped
The Deep Tunnel’s massive sewers, capable of holding 2.3 billion gallons, were almost empty, according to
At the end of tunnels hundreds of feet below the
But the first sign of trouble came before
Two hours later, the same thing happened at a pump station in north suburban
“When you have a slow-moving storm that’s dumping a large amount of rainfall, it doesn’t take much to cause problems,” said
Sewage overflows are an indicator that basements are flooding, effectively turning scores of homes into mini stormwater reservoirs.
By
Suburban leaders fielding complaints about standing water and basement backups attempted to pin the blame on district officials for not opening the gate and locks earlier. Several reminded their constituents that the
“They’ve been talking about the
When construction of the
Our changing climate is scrambling weather patterns, though. Recent storms suggest rain can now fall so quickly that stormwater tunnels can’t move runoff to the reservoir fast enough to prevent sewage overflows and basement backups in the 252 square miles of
“Mother Nature continues to be in the driver’s seat and the main issue is the rain: too much, too intense and too frequent,” said
Scientists are finding the world is warmer than it has been in thousands of years. All of that hot air sucks moisture out of plants and soil, fueling droughts and wildfires. More moisture in the atmosphere also increases the amount of rain (or snow) that can fall during a particular storm.
“Essentially we find that every storm is now being affected by climate change,” said
In 2010, Wuebbles and other scientists hired by former Mayor
Several monsoon-like storms in recent years highlight how challenging it is to manage stormwater in
Officials at the
They’ve previously said the region’s flooding would be far worse without the project, technically known as the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan or TARP.
“TARP continues to operate as designed,” the district said Thursday in a statement noting the system was holding more than 8 billion gallons that otherwise would be in basements, waterways and
In another statement, district officials said it would have been too dangerous to open the
Under a legal settlement with environmental groups, the district is obligated to expand the
Just before noon on
She decided she could mop up the water later. But soon after she left one of Taylor’s sons called to tell her the miasma was 3 feet high and rising.
Taylor returned to find food from the refrigerator floating in sewer water. Furniture, beds and clothes were irreparably damaged. Since the water receded the family has been constantly bleaching and washing their walls and floors.
“I basically lost everything,” said Taylor, the family’s sole provider. “It’s just exhausting.”
Flood losses in the city and suburbs cost taxpayers
Scientists who study flooding say the costs likely were significantly higher.
Computer models developed by the city can track down to the block level which neighborhoods are most at risk. Like so many other societal ills, the consequences hit the poorest Chicagoans the hardest. After a major storm in 2013, city officials determined the damages were concentrated in low- and middle-income census tracts on the West and South sides, similar to where many 311 calls originated after the more recent storms.
The region’s struggle with chronic flooding begins with its location.
To make matters worse, sewers in
To supplement the
Environmental groups have been calling for more “green infrastructure” solutions for years, including during the 1970s when district officials struggled to persuade
Other cities, including
Some of those smaller measures are underway in the
“The devastation around the neighborhood — it was just unbelievable,” said Wells, the
“People were actually on boats. Elderly people,” Wells said about the recent storm. “Until we have investment in (green) infrastructure, this is going to continue to happen and we’re going to continue to get flooded out.”
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