Flooding complaints are an urgent call to action for the MWRD

In a recent Sun-Times article, Brett Chase and Caroline Hurley compiled an analysis of 27,000 flooding complaints from the Chicago community. Their analysis revealed both a steady increase in street flooding and the unique struggle faced by South Side neighborhoods. It presented a sobering call to action for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.

The MWRD, for which I have served over the last two years, has made real strides to combat flooding in our city. The Tunnel and Reservoir Plan, which created 109 miles of tunnels to contain and reclaim excess sewage and stormwater, is one of the largest civil engineering projects in the world. But the current situation has exposed how much work remains to be done.

Not only must we act to undo the massive flooding in our city, but we must act now, before it gets any worse. Climatologists indicate that record rainfalls still lie ahead of us; with more rainfall comes an even greater risk of flooding. A promising solution has been the TARP program to transport stormwater to our reservoirs, as well as investing in green infrastructure so more rain can be captured onsite. Simply put, we cannot passively stand by and wait for the problem to worsen before combating it.

Flooding is a pressing issue for our city as a whole, but it’s one of many public health issues disproportionately faced by the South Side, where I live. As the Sun-Times explained, Chatham has led flooding-related complaints for the past two years, despite the city’s efforts to improve its sewer lines. Growing up, I remember having to clean up the sludge from our basement after a rainfall. That was the norm for residents of the South Side.

MWRD must, and will, take action by continuing to make investments in stormwater management projects across the region. Cook County residents can play a role, too, by doing more to conserve water at home.

It’s time to fix this issue. Climate change won’t let us wait any longer.

Kim Neely DuBuclet, commissioner, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District

Clean up litter, for $5 a bag

Chicago is called the Windy City, but it looks more like the City of Pigs to anyone driving down almost any city street.

People feel free to toss fast food garbage, empty cigarette packages, candy wrappers, even dirty diapers and now used face masks and other PPE out the window and onto the streets where, in most cases, no one picks it up.

There’s a popular ice cream store around the corner from my house in Bridgeport. People eat their banana splits on my street and then wantonly throw the styrofoam containers into the street. One person filled the windshield washer in his car from a plastic jug and then tossed the container into the street.

People should be ticketed for littering, but who can catch them?

One solution would be to pay local organizations like the Girl Scouts or animal shelters, $5 for each bag of garbage picked up off the streets. The ward superintendent provides the garbage bags and takes the garbage to a landfill. Even the homeless could take advantage of this offer.

Each alderman could set up a fund of $1,000 to pay for this garbage collection and immediately take 200 bags of garbage off the streets.

The fund could be replenished either by the alderman or through contributions. Fast food restaurants that contribute to the problem by producing the bulk of what later becomes litter could be asked to contribute money or workers.

Even the ice cream shop down the block.

Michael Ulreich, Bridgeport

No need for coach houses

David Roeder hit the nail on the head in his story about the movement to build coach houses in Chicago. Let’s face it, the city could accomplish a lot more with insisting on “like-for-like” tear-downs. The city lost more housing when two-flats were destroyed to make room for single family homes than it will ever gain by replacing garages with living space.

Don Anderson, Oak Park