Chicago-area residents have been asked to reduce water use, including delaying showers and not doing laundry, as heavy rains fall across the region, with more rain expected throughout the day.
According to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, an “Overflow Action Day” was issued Tuesday morning, with heavy downpours, scattered soaking rain and even the chance for severe weather through the evening.
According to the Overflow Action Alert, MWRD officials are asking residents to take steps to reduce their water usage during and after the storms in an effort to limit the amount of water that goes into sewer systems.
Those steps include reducing the amount of time residents spend in the shower, but also apply to other things as well, including running dishwashers less frequently, reducing the number of times toilets are flushed, and delaying doing laundry until the rain has moved out of the area.
If too much water enters those systems, it can lead to flooding, including into the basements of residences and businesses.
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Particularly severe flooding can result in the release of untreated or partially treated wastewater into the Chicago River or Lake Michigan, something the agency actively seeks to avoid.
According to the alert, there are a number of other steps residents can also take to reduce the amount of water entering sewage systems. Those include the installation of rain gardens or rain barrels on properties. Landscaping with native plants or planting more trees will also help to absorb more water.
Even replacing paved surfaces with water-absorbing materials can also help, according to the MWRD website.
While the rain could break at times in the afternoon, it will pick back up in the early evening, NBC 5 Storm Team meteorologist Alicia Roman said. At that time, counties to the far south, including parts of LaSalle and Kankakee, could see strong or even severe storms.
“Showers and thunderstorms are expected to redevelop this afternoon,” the National Weather Service said. “A few storms could become severe, primarily near and south of LaSalle to Rensselaer line.”
Temperatures Tuesday will remain in the 50s Roman said, with winds gusting as high as 40 miles-per-hour at times.
Rain was expected to linger into Wednesday morning and afternoon, with more scattered showers possible in the evening.
Thursday is expected to be drier, Roman said, though some showers could remain.
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