Doing Things Differently: Brine Tank Stormwater Capture and Reuse System

Brine Tank Stormwater Capture and Reuse System
 

Like many cities, Chicago has a combined sewer system, meaning sewage and rainwater are collected together. In a rainfall event, an overwhelmed sewer system can back up into homes and businesses and release raw sewage into our lakes, rivers, and other sources of drinking water. This not only harms residents and damages property, but impacts local ecosystems as well. 

Chicago recently experienced extremely heavy rainfall over Independence Day weekend, receiving more rain in 48 hours than what is typical in all of July. For the first time, Chicago's massive Deep Tunnel–a system of underground reservoirs and tunnels–was nearly full. Scientists have warned that intense rains will worsen in the next 25 years due to climate change.

With current storm infrastructure already nearing its limits, our reuse project reimagines how The Plant can reduce the strain on stormwater infrastructure while using the water for watering crops to lessen reliance on drinking water supplies. We recognized the opportunity to repurpose a huge, 9000-gallon tank in the basement of The Plant, which had been used by Peer Foods for brine to preserve meat products.

A stormwater capture system utilizing the brine tank as a giant cistern stores rainwater that would otherwise wash directly into the sewer system. Beyond preventing combined sewer overflow, this water is used a resource rather than waste, reducing costs and the impact of The Plant’s urban farms on Chicago's potable water supplies.

Read the case study from our Toolkit here!