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   Under a settlement with the federal government and the state of Illinois, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) has agreed to undertake a major upgrade of its sewer system. The settlement addresses charges that untreated sewer discharges have been routinely released into Chicago-area waterways during floods and other wet weather events. “This settlement mandates that MWRD make critical structural changes to improve the quality of Chicago’s waterways,” said Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. These improvements will include the completion of a tunnel and reservoir to add to water storage capacity during wet weather events, as well as the implementation of such “green infrastructure” projects as rain gardens. The projects will be completed in a series of stages in 2015, 2017, and 2029, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).