Sanitary District of Chicago

From HistoryWiki

Sanitary District of Chicago Soundex Code S536

Encyclopedia of Illinois (1905), Volume 1, page 95

" ... At the general election, held [Tuesday,] November 5, 1889, the "Sanitary District of Chicago" was organized by an almost unanimous popular vote—the returns showing 70,958 votes for the measure to 243 against. The District, as thus formed, embraces all of the city of Chicago north of Eighty-seventh Street, with forty-three square miles outside of the city limits but within the area to be beneflted by the improvement. Though the channel is located partly in Will County, the district is wholly in Cook [County] and bears the entire expense of construction.

"The first election of Trustees was held at a special election, [Thursday,] December 12, 1889, the Trustees then elected to hold their offices for five years [1894] and until the following November. The second election occurred, [Tuesday,] November 5, 1895, when the Board, as now constituted (1899), was chosen, viz.: William Boldenweck, Joseph C. Braden, Zina R. Carter, Bernard A. Eckhart, Alexander J. Jones, Thomas Kelly, James P. Mallette, Thomas A. Smyth, and Frank Wenter. The Trustees have power to sell bonds in order to procure funds to prosecute the work and to levy taxes upon property within the district, under certain limitations as to length of time the taxes run and the rate per cent imposed. Under an amendment of the Drainage Act adopted by the Legislature in 1897, the rate of assessment upon property within the Drainage District is limited to one and one-half per cent, up to and including the year 1899, but after that date becomes one-half of one per cent.

The bed of the channel, as now in process of construction, commences at Robey Street and the South Branch of the Chicago River, 5.8 miles from Lake Michigan, and extends in a southwesterly direction to the vicinity of Summit, where it intersects the Des Plaines River. From this point it follows the bed of that stream to Lockport, in "Will County, where, in consequence of the sudden depression in the ground, the bed of the channel comes to the surface, and where the great controlling works are situated. This has made necessary the excavation of about thirteen miles of new channel for the river—which runs parallel with, and on the west side of, the drainage canal—besides the construction of about nineteen miles of levee to separate the waters of the canal from the river. The following statement of the quality of the material excavated and the dimensions of the work, is taken from a paper by Hon. H.B. Hurd, under the title, "The Chicago Drainage Channel and "Waterway," published in the sixth volume of Industrial Chicago (1896): "Through that portion of the channel between Chicago and Summit, which is being constructed to produce a flow of 300,000 cubic feet per minute, which is supposed to be sufficient to dilute sewage for about the present population (of Chicago), the width of the channel is 110 feet on the bottom, with side slopes of two to one. This portion of the channel is ultimately to be enlarged to thecapacity of 600,000 cubic feet per minute. The bottom of the channel, at Robey Street, is 24.448 feet below Chicago datum. The width of the channel from Summit down to the neighborhood of Willow Springs is 202 feet on the bottom, with the same side slope. The cut through the rock, which extends from the neighborhood of Willow Springs to the point where the channel runs out of ground near Lockport, is 160 feet wide at the bottom. The entire depth of the channel is substantially the same as at Robey Street, with the addition of one foot in 40,000 feet. The rock portion of the channel is constructed to the full capacity of 600,000 cubic feet per minute. From the point where the channel runs out of ground to Joliet Lake, there is a rapid fall; over this slope works are to be constructed to let the water down in such a manner as not to damage Joliet."

"Ground was broken on the rock-cut near Lemont, on [Saturday,] September 3, 1892, and work has been in progress almost constantly ever since. The progress of the work was greatly obstructed during the year 1898, by difficulties encountered in securing the right of way for the discharge of the waters of the canal through the city of Joliet, but these were compromised near the close of the year, and it was anticipated that the work would be prosecuted to completion during the year 1899. From [Saturday,] February 1, 1890, to [Saturday,] December 31, 1898, the net receipts of the Board for the prosecution of the work aggregated $28,257,707, while the net expenditures had amounted to §28,221.864.57. Of the latter, $20,099,284.67 was charged to construction account, §3,156,903.12 to "land account" (including right of way), and §1,222,092.82 to the cost of maintaining the engineering department. When finished, the cost will reach not less than §85,000,000. These figures indicate the stupendous character of the work, which bids fair to stand without a rival of its kind in modern engineering and in the results it is expected to achieve. ... "

Officers

Comptroller

Francis Daniel Connery, 1915-17.