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6549649 
Journal Article 
The Chicago area deep tunnel project - a use of the underground storage resource 
Koelzer, VA; Bauer, WJ; Dalton, FE 
1969 
41 (1969) 
515-534 
To relieve flooding and pollution of watercourses by stormwater overflows from combined sewers in the Chicago district it is proposed to construct deep tunnels and a mined reservoir, containing a settling compartment with sludge-handling equipment, to provide temporary storage for excess flows. These structures will be excavated by modern equipment in rock formations underlying the city, and the tunnels, some of which will be about 800 ft underground, will be connected to the sewers by vertical shafts. Sewage will be pumped from underground storage to a surface reservoir from where it will pass to a treatment plant for complete purification and chlorination before discharge to a watercourse. Daily recirculation between surface and underground reservoirs will provide a degree of aeration. Construction and operating costs will be alleviated by sale of the mined material and utilization of the storage capacity for hydro-electric power generation. Details of the scheme are given in an appendix.