St. Louis, Mo., hides four miles of River Des Peres in tunnels beneath Forest Park
(UI) — Deep beneath Forest Park lies a hidden system of tunnels carrying the River Des Peres, which is nearly half of the river’s roughly 10-mile course, according to Fox 2 Now. The enclosure was originally implemented to mask the foul conditions of the open stream during the early 1900s as St. Louis expanded.
Today, that system remains vital. The tunnels carry mixed wastewater and stormwater to Lemay Treatment Plant through what’s known as the Forest Park Junction Chain, where flows from multiple lines converge, Fox 2 Now reports.
MSD officials caution that this is not a navigable river. They warn of dangerous sewer gases and rising water levels during storms. Modern tunnel work now relies on massive TBMs—making the hand-dug, 29-by-23-foot tunnels constructed over a century ago a remarkable engineering achievement.
To bolster capacity, MSD plans a new network of 15–16 miles of deeper tunnels - up to 250 feet underground - to add roughly 300 million gallons of capacity. That project is scheduled for completion by the late 2030s.
Related News
From Archive
- TxDOT advances massive drainage tunnel beneath I-35 in Austin
- Glenfarne Alaska LNG targets late-2026 construction start for 807-mile pipeline project
- U.S. water reuse boom to fuel $47 billion in infrastructure spending through 2035
- $2.3 billion approved to construct 236-mile Texas-to-Gulf gas pipeline
- Major water pipe break in Puerto Rico hits over 165,000 customers
- Pennsylvania American Water launches interactive map to identify, replace lead water service lines
- Trump's tariffs drive $33 million cost increase for Cincinnati sewer project
- Utah city launches historic $70 million tunnel project using box jacking under active rail line
- Tulsa residents warned after sewer lines damaged by boring work
- Fatal trench collapse halts sewer construction in Massachusetts; two workers hospitalized
Comments