This weekend’s heavy rainfall in the Chicago area has helped to fuel record amounts of stormwater being stored in Cook County’s reservoirs, nearly 20,000 Olympic-size swimming pools’ worth.
According to the latest estimates from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, the McCook Reservoir in suburban Bedford Park has more than 3.6 billion gallons of water in it, meaning it is at full capacity. Officials say this is the sixth time in 2026 the reservoir has hit capacity, compared to the five times it had been full in the previous five years combined.
In addition, the Thornton Composite Reservoir, located near South Holland, is at 94% capacity, with more than 7.4 billion gallons of water being stored. According to estimates, it’s the most water that has ever been in that reservoir since it was opened in 2015…