Chicago-area residents have been asked to reduce water use as multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms impact the area Monday.
According to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, an “Overflow Action Day” has been declared, with at least two rounds of showers and thunderstorms inundating the area in the afternoon and evening hours.
Those showers and storms could also come with gusty winds, but a big threat for the area is the heavy rain, which is falling on already saturated parts of the region. Several area rivers are already flooding, and reservoirs are hitting high levels of water due to the persistent rain the Chicago area has experienced this month.
According to the Storm Prediction Center, Chicago will be at a “slight” risk of severe weather on Monday, with heavy rain, gusty winds and a non-zero tornado threat among the possible issues residents could face.
Under provisions of an Overflow Action Alert, MWRD officials ask Chicago-area residents to take steps to reduce their water usage in coming days in an effort to limit the amount of water that goes into sewer systems.
Those steps include reducing the amount of time residents spend in the shower, but also apply to other things as well, including running dishwashers less frequently, reducing the number of times toilets are flushed, and delaying doing laundry until the rain has moved out of the area.
If too much water enters those systems, it can lead to flooding, including into the basements of residences and businesses.
Particularly severe flooding can result in the release of untreated or partially treated wastewater into the Chicago River or Lake Michigan, something the agency actively seeks to avoid.
According to the alert, there are a number of other steps residents can also take to reduce the amount of water entering sewage systems. Those include the installation of rain gardens or rain barrels on properties. Landscaping with native plants or planting more trees will also help to absorb more water.
Even replacing paved surfaces with water-absorbing materials can also help, according to the MWRD website.
