These enormous underground projects are so interesting.
I've been following the Chicago Deep Tunnel project, which is nearing completion after half a century of work.[1] Because Chicago was built on swampland and next to the lake, rainwater used to be a huge problem because it didn't have anywhere to go when it rains, except into sewers - which used to be well under capacity for burst rainfall, which led to basement flooding etc.
So the city is building (and almost finished with) a set of huge tunnels across the entire city that regular sewers will drain into during flash floods, and then pump the water out to reservoirs repurposed from abandoned quarries on the edge of town. The target capacity is 17 billion gallons, which is apparently the volume of twelve football stadiums stacked together? [2]
I'd love to tour that construction. Not sure they offer public tours though. :)
I understand that football stadium play area is standard, but how do you measure height?
Is it a foul to kick the ball too high in the air? The play area, I assume isn't limited vertically.
It says "volume of twelve stadiums" so maybe by treating an entire stadium as a giant bowl up to the top of the seating? But who knows what stadium is the reference stadium - that's not a consistent thing like the size of a football field.
DC’s Clean Rivers Project is building 4 long tunnels to act as a buffer for the old combined sewer system. Some of the tunnels are complete and already functioning. Previously large storms would cause the sewers to overflow into the Potomac and Anacostia rivers. The EPA wound up suing DC and the Clean Rivers Project is the result. The new tunnels have already had a huge effect.
Probably wouldn't want to be there today. ;) (Lots of rain, I think the tunnels are full.)
A couple years ago we stopped by the Lincoln Oasis (rest stop consisting of a bridge over the interstate that carried restaurants and similar instead of traffic.) As I was heading back to my car, I heard a loud whooshing noise and saw what looked like a geyser next to the ramp to get back on to the highway. I walked over to inspect and found a large grate fenced off and signed Chicago Water Reclamation (or something similar.) We had had a lot of rain the night before and apparently this was a vent to release air as the tunnel filled. The location is very near one of the quarries that is used to hold excess runoff.
Interestingly the recent late season rain has the Deep Tunnel almost full. [1] Two of the three main reservoirs are already at capacity, and the the last one is getting there.
BTW they do offer tours of the pumping stations, but not the tunnels [2]
Milwaukee, WI is building a Deep Tunnel project as well. It's certainly not as large as Chicago's, but the need is similar (city built on swampland). They are, after all, neighboring cities on Lake Michigan.
I've been following the Chicago Deep Tunnel project, which is nearing completion after half a century of work.[1] Because Chicago was built on swampland and next to the lake, rainwater used to be a huge problem because it didn't have anywhere to go when it rains, except into sewers - which used to be well under capacity for burst rainfall, which led to basement flooding etc.
So the city is building (and almost finished with) a set of huge tunnels across the entire city that regular sewers will drain into during flash floods, and then pump the water out to reservoirs repurposed from abandoned quarries on the edge of town. The target capacity is 17 billion gallons, which is apparently the volume of twelve football stadiums stacked together? [2]
I'd love to tour that construction. Not sure they offer public tours though. :)
[1] https://interestingengineering.com/chicagos-deep-tunnel-proj... [2] https://www.mwrd.org/irj/portal/anonymous?NavigationTarget=n...