Chicago was built on a low-lying, flat, and swampy area. So, they thought, why not just lift the city out of the mud? Considering the cost of this project, the city was initially just lifted a couple of meters out of the swamp.
In an unprecedented feat of engineering, the direction of the Chicago River was literally altered. Instead of its natural path into the lake, it was made to flow into the Mississippi River. Changing a river's flow is no small task. It started with the construction of a series of locks and a brand-new 45-kilometer 28-mile-long canal sloping downhill.
Then came the pumping stations, directing water through the canal as it deepened, journeying towards the Des Plaines and Mississippi Rivers. This created a reversal effect. Even today, the river stands as a testament to human ingenuity, actually flowing backward. But as the city's population continued to grow, the innovative sewer system started to become strained. By the 1960s, the sewers were overflowing nearly every other day. Flooding became a regular event. Chicago, once again, found itself struggling to stay afloat. It was like staring into the abyss, with the city's future hanging in the balance.
The plan consisted of a vast underground network stretching 175 kilometers or 108 MILES, featuring three huge reservoirs right through the heart of downtown Chicago.
Designed as a weapon against the unending battle with overflow and pollution, this innovative plan was like none other. Surplus water from storms, a relentless foe, could now be rerouted through this labyrinth of new tunnels, held captive in the reservoirs for treatment, and then released. This heroic endeavor began in 1975 with Phase 1, the birth of the tunnels. But these weren't just ordinary tunnels; they were gigantic, monstrous creations.
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