Chicago Riverwalk / Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium

Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium

Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium

by the American Society of Civil Engineers, 1852

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago's

WASTEWATER SYSTEM

One of the finest example of how civil engineering ingenuity

shaped the development of society's quality of life in the 20th century ".. 

Designated: Sep 19, 2001

Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium

Monument of the Millennium

Monument of the Millennium 

"The ASCE presented only ten such awards worldwide, each representing the most outstanding example of Civil Engineering in a particular area of infrastructure over the past century.

Created in 1889, the District built canals that reversed the flow of Chicago River away from Lake Michigan protecting public drinking water supply and eliminating waterborne diseases prevelant at the time. The District later built wastewater treatment plants to collect and treat all the wastewater in the area.

The District has continued with new technology and foresight in construction of Tunnel and Reservoir Plan [TARP], for the capture of combined sewer overflows that would otherwise discharge to the inland waterways and the Sidestream Elevated Pool Aeration [SEPA] stations to add more oxygen to the waterways. These and other innovations of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago proudly continues the commitment to protect Lake Michigan and the inland waterways."

ASCE stands for  American Society of Civil Engineers

Note the Y-Symbol

Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium