Established in 2014, the Green Infrastructure Program, led by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, MWRDGC, seeks to increase the acceptance and investment of green infrastructure throughout Cook County through numerous partnerships. The program calls for green infrastructure projects and seeks to partner with local communities and public agencies throughout Cook County to fund and build a variety of green infrastructure projects, including roadside bioswales and rain gardens, green roofs, permeable pavement alleys and parking lots, green streetscapes, and eco-orchards. The program is available to government organizations within MWRDGC’s corporate boundaries. Projects are prioritized on their ability to capture and store water, which is measured as design retention capacity, flood risk, structures that benefit from green infrastructure, and other criteria. MWRDGC and a partnering agency execute an intergovernmental agreement to facilitate the project, with long-term maintenance responsibilities assigned to the partnering agency. The design and construction of each installation are monitored to optimize benefits. After completion, staff inspect the installation, ensuring maintenance is in line with the project’s operation and maintenance plan.
Since 2017, this program has selected 93 projects that will provide a total design retention capacity of approximately 7.9 million gallons.
The Arlington Heights, River Forest, Skokie, and Wheeling Park District projects were completed in 2018, providing 205,453 gallons of design retention capacity for an investment of $689,000. In 2019, the MWRDGC worked with the City of Des Plaines; the Forest Preserve District of Cook County; and the villages of Forest Park, Harwood Heights, La Grange, Maywood, Riverside, Tinley Park, Broadview, and River Grove to develop green infrastructure projects. including permeable pavement parking, green alleys, and bio-retention facilities. MWRDGC contributed approximately $3.9 million to these projects, which provided a combined design retention capacity of 1.3 million gallons.
In 2020, the MWRDGC partnered with the cities of Chicago and Northlake; the villages of Summit, Broadview, Maywood, and River Grove; two Cook County school districts; the Chicago Park District; and University of Illinois at Chicago to develop green infrastructure projects. MWRDGC contributed nearly $3.2 million to these projects, which provided a combined design retention capacity of approximately 1.5 million gallons.
The Harwood Heights, Lyons, Oak Park Rain Garden, Bartlett, and Westchester projects were completed in 2021, providing 552,358 gallons of design retention capacity for an investment of $1.45 million.
MWRDGC also supports 34 additional projects that are collaborations including Space to Grow, an innovative public-private partnership with a mission of transforming Chicago schoolyards into vibrant green spaces for physical activity, outdoor learning, and play. The completed projects provided 6.54 million gallons of design retention capacity for an investment of $16 million. These schoolyards incorporate permeable play surfaces, native plantings, rain gardens, and other green infrastructure design elements to reduce pollution and neighborhood flooding. The program is co-managed by the Healthy Schools Campaign and Openlands, with capital funding, leadership, and expertise from MWRDGC, Chicago Public Schools, and the City of Chicago Department of Water Management. MWRDGC also provides technical support for green infrastructure elements to ensure that the new schoolyards provide optimal stormwater capture benefits.
Space to Grow schools are prioritized based on flood risk, site suitability, and socioeconomic factors. Numerous community meetings were held to describe project details and benefits. MWRDGC and Chicago Public Schools executed an intergovernmental agreement to facilitate the projects whereby long-term maintenance responsibilities are assigned to Chicago Public Schools.
A new intergovernmental agreement is being negotiated to continue the program past 2022. See mwrd.org/sites/default/files/documents/2021%20Stormwater%20Report_220621.pdf and mwrd.org/services/green-infrastructure for more information.
