Metro Water Reclamation District

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago is an independent government and taxing agency. It is a separate legal entity that shares an overlapping tax base with the Chicago Public Building Commission, city of Chicago and Cook County Forest Preserve District. The district was established in 1889 and provides watershed planning, stormwater management and sewer maintenance services throughout Cook County in Illinois. It processes biosolids in anaerobic digesters to reduce odorous and nonodorous volatile organic compounds and pathogens. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago also offers technical assistance in the areas of preliminary site evaluation and soil testing to the users of its biosolids. Additionally, it operates through Engineering, law, finance, information technology, human resources, and monitoring and research departments.