Rain Causes Sewage Discharge into Chicago River on Northwest Side

Chicago has seen 6 inches of rain in June, well above the historical average, according to data from the National Weather Service. (Chicago Tonight)Chicago has seen 6 inches of rain in June, well above the historical average, according to data from the National Weather Service. (Chicago Tonight)

Chicago’s rainy June continued Thursday night into Friday morning, prompting sewage discharge into the Chicago River on the city’s Northwest Side.

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Steady rain caused an overflow of the combined sewer system at Mango Avenue near the Edgebrook Golf Course in Edgebrook, and another near Lawrence Avenue south of Ronan Park, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District announced Friday.

In combined sewer storms, storm and sanitary lines are not separated, which can result in overflows when systems are burdened by high volumes of rain.


Earlier Friday, flooding forced the CTA to temporarily suspend service on the Yellow Line. The CTA resumed Yellow Line service at about 9:35 a.m.

Chicago has seen 6 inches of rain in June, well above the historical average for June of about 2.5 inches, according to data from the National Weather Service.

"Given the recent heavy rainfall amounts, any additional heavy rain may produce localized flash flooding,” NWS said in a release, according to the nonprofit Friends of the Chicago River. “Area rivers and streams are running high, which means rainfall will more quickly go into runoff.”

Especially during periods of heavy rain, Friends of the Chicago River encourages residents to use less water at home, which gives sewers more capacity to handle rain.

Last year, the organization launched its Overflow Action Days initiative, which lets users sign up for email alerts that include water conservation reminders before and during rain events. To conserve water, the group suggests delaying or reducing the lengths of showers, flushing less frequently and waiting to run the dishwasher.

Contact Alex Ruppenthal: @arupp [email protected] | (773) 509-5623


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