'Metropolitan Water Reclamation District breaks ground on new system at Skokie plant,' CBS 2 Chicago

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The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago on Thursday held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new system at the O'Brien Water Reclamation Plant in Skokie.

The district is set to build what will be known as Battery E - a nearly $400 million investment with new tanks and other infrastructure and equipment.

The new system will remove phosphorus from wastewater through a biological process that helps protect downstream water quality and meets stringent water quality requirements, the MWRD said.

Battery E is the fifth battery, or system, at the O'Brien facility, and will allow the MWRD to complete extensive upgrades to the other four batteries.

The MWRD noted that excess phosphorus discharged to waterways can cause algae to grow and bloom, which in turn can deplete oxygen in the water, threaten aquatic life, and ruin bodies of water for recreation.

The Terrence J. O'Brien Water Reclamation Plant is located at 3500 Howard St., at the northwest corner of the intersection with McCormick Boulevard, in Skokie. It is one of seven wastewater treatment facilities run by the MWRD, cleaning water flushed down toilets, sinks and drains.

The O'Brien facility has been in operation since 1928. It serves more than 1.3 million people across 143 square miles and cleans an average of 230 million gallons of wastewater a day.

MWRD President Kari K. Steele, and leaders from Skokie, Evanston, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were set to attend the groundbreaking Thursday.