Friends Joins Climate Tour

Friends’ Watershed Policy Manager Tessa Murray recently joined Congressman Mike Quigley’s Climate Tour, which focused on adapting local infrastructure to climate change and urban flooding. The tour included stops at LaBagh Woods and the Albany Park Stormwater Diversion Tunnel.

At LaBagh Woods, participants learned about the role healthy floodplains, wetlands, and other natural areas can play in absorbing and storing stormwater while providing critical habitat along the North Branch of the Chicago River.

The Albany Park Stormwater Diversion Tunnel showcases an innovative engineered solution to overbank river flooding. During high-water events, excess flow from the North Branch is diverted through the mile-long underground tunnel and discharged into the North Shore Channel, reducing flood risk for the surrounding watershed and Albany Park community.

Murray spoke with Congressman Quigley, Cook County Commissioner Bridget Degnen, and Ald. Samantha Nugent about the connections between flooding and river health, particularly how heavy rainfall can overwhelm Chicago’s combined sewer system and contribute to sewage overflows into the river. The group agreed that nature-based solutions should be better utilized to capture stormwater before it enters the sewer system, while also improving habitat, water quality, and climate resilience.

Staff from the Illinois Environmental Council, Forest Preserves of Cook County, and Chicago Department of Transportation also participated in the tour.