"Wilmette, Kenilworth Residents Urged To Use Less Water Due To Storms," Wilmette-Kenilworth Patch
Wilmette-Kenilworth Patch: Before forecasted heavy rainfall comes into the area, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District urged Wilmette and Kenilworth residents to cut down on water use to reduce flooding.
The agency issued an "Overflow Action" on Thursday, informing the public that rainy conditions could lead to combined sewer overflows. Overflows occur when the MWRD's intercepting sewers and water reclamation plants reach capacity and drain to a waterway.
"Like older cities around the world, most local sewers in the Chicago area were built more than 100 years ago. Today most of these local sewers are required to carry much more water than when these systems were first put into service," the agency said. "Consequently, the sewers can exceed their flow capacity, cause backups or overflow into the waterways."
The MWRD recommended ways to conserve water during rainfall:
- Delay or reduce shower times
- Put off running the dishwasher
- Wait to do the laundry
- Replace old and leaky faucets, toilets and shower heads
That National Weather Service also warned that flooding could occur in rivers, creeks, ditches and poor drainage areas late Friday into Saturday. Showers and possible thunderstorms are expected to 1 to 2 inches of water into the region during the storm.
The overflow action day alert will stay in effect until the storm passes, officials said.