“It smells like decaying animals. Like dirt. Like stale a garbage can,” said Nancy Hammer, a longtime resident of the area. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District told NBC Chicago the "reservoir is part of a large, complex tunnel and reservoir system—one of the first of its kind and unmatched in scale." The system captures stormwater, reduces flooding and protects water quality in more than a dozen surrounding communities. The reservoir was at 94% capacity as of Tuesday, storing more than 7.4 billion gallons of water. According to estimates, it’s the most water that has ever been in that reservoir since it was opened in 2015. #sewage #odor #chicago