Did you know, a construction project that began in the mid ’70s – STILL UNDERWAY – has resulted in about 110 miles of tunnels, as much as 350 feet underneath the City? And these tunnels are no mole holes! Some are 9 to 33 feet wide and help manage and direct water runoff to massive reservoirs and treatment facilities.
All this started as one of the United States’ largest regional pollution control projects. Fittingly it has had other environmental advantages helping the City combat the growing impacts of climate change. Particularly from the runoff and flooding from major storms, which ends up in our waterways. Most such water is now treated before ending up in the rivers. Already the effort has had a huge impact on wildlife as many species of fish have returned to our rivers and nearby along Lake Michigan.
We found a pretty fascinating video online about the purpose and history of this project, if you are interested to learn more:
There is also a companion article online, at the source website:
https://www.theb1m.com/video/the-secret-4bn-tunnel-network-under-chicago
