Jardine Water Purification Plant

The Water Purification Plant (formerly the Central District Filtration Plant) is a water purification system that is located on the North Side of Chicago.

Overview
The Jardine Water Purification Plant is one of the largest (if not the largest) water treatment plant in the world. It sits at 1000 East Ohio Street, on the North of the Navy Pier, in Chicago. Drawing raw water from two of the city's water crib offshore Lake Michigan, it then supplies two third of City's of Chicago with drinking water, at a rate of one million gallons per minute. Water is processed in 8 hours, through the use of 96 swimming pool-size filters. The plant serves consumers situated in the northern, downtown and western parts of the city, as well to severals northern and western neighboring suburbs.

Water intended for the southern portion of the city is supplied by a separate plant, the South Water Purification Plant. Both purification plant cumulated provides freshwater to roughly 3 millions households in the city, and 118 suburbs.

History
The then-Central District Filtration Plant was built in the 1960s, and started operating in 1968. Landscaping adjoining the plant was designed by American landscape architect Dan Kiley. The plant later adopted its current name to commemorate former employee James W. Jardine, who served as water commissioner from 1953 until his retirement in 1973.