The MWRD is the government agency responsible for treating wastewater and managing stormwater across the Chicago region. We clean sewage, reduce flooding, and protect our waterways—but despite “water” in our name, we’re not responsible for drinking water! Most residents in our service area receive their drinking water from the City of Chicago Department of Water Management.

Founded in 1889, the MWRD was established to reverse the flow of the Chicago River, protecting Lake Michigan and safeguarding public health. Since then, we’ve constructed 61 miles of canals, seven water reclamation plants, 110 miles of deep tunnels, and hundreds of miles of sewers connecting local systems to our treatment facilities. Every day, we clean an average of 1.3 billion gallons of water, transforming wastewater, stormwater, and urban runoff into clean water while recovering valuable resources like energy.

As a world leader in wastewater and stormwater management, we remain committed to flood mitigation, resource recovery, sustainability, resilience, and innovation.