MORE TO THE CANALS STORY

摘要

In reference to the Civil Engineering News article "Increased Recreation on Chicago Waterways Prompts Move toward Disinfection," which appeared in the August issue (pages 24—26), there is more to the story. The June 2, 2011, decision by Chicago's Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board of Commissioners to proceed with effluent disinfection (ED) was a policy decision, not a science-based decision. Policy decisions are based on what is deemed to be in the public interest. The Stickney Water Reclamation Plant, a secondary treatment plant with the largest capacity in the world, practiced ED through 1985, when the practice was discontinued at all three large plants discharging to Chicago's canal system. Stickney was left off the table in the recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandate and board decision and will not be required to implement ED, at least for now.