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Water-level, velocity, and dye measurements in the Chicago tunnels

By:  and 
Edited by: Shen Hsieh WenSu S.T.Wen Feng

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Abstract

On April 13, 1992, a section of a 100-year-old underground freight tunnel in downtown Chicago, Illinois was breached where the tunnel crosses under the Chicago River, about 15 meters below land surface. The breach allowed water from the Chicago River to flow into the freight tunnels and into buildings connected to the tunnels. As a result, utility services to more than 100 buildings in downtown Chicago were lost, several hundred thousand workers were sent home, and the entire subway system and a major expressway in the Loop were shut down. The breach in the tunnel was sealed and the tunnel dewatered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and its contractors. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assisted the Corps in their efforts to plug and dewater the freight tunnels and connected buildings. This assistance included the installation and operation of telemetered gages for monitoring water levels in the tunnel system and velocity measurements made in the vicinity of the tunnel breach. A fluorescent dye tracer was used to check for leaks in the plugs, which isolated the damaged portion of the Chicago freight tunnel from the remainder of the tunnel system.
Publication type Conference Paper
Publication Subtype Conference Paper
Title Water-level, velocity, and dye measurements in the Chicago tunnels
ISBN 0872629201
Issue pt 2
Year Published 1993
Language English
Publisher Publ by ASCE
Publisher location New York, NY, United States
Larger Work Title Proceedings - National Conference on Hydraulic Engineering
First page 1476
Last page 1481
Conference Title Proceedings of the National Conference on Hydraulic Engineering
Conference Location San Francisco, CA, USA
Conference Date 25 July 1993 through 30 July 1993
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