The world's largest wastewater treatment plant is in Stickney, Ill.

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District's wastewater treatment plant in near Stickney, Ill. has many names, both formal and informal.

The formal name is the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant. Gizmodo Magazine has a more appropriate name for the 413-acre facility: "The Crappiest Place On Earth."

But is it best known as the world's largest wastewater treatment plant, serving over 2.4 million people in Chicago and 46 suburban communities.

"What wastewater is essentially is any of the water that you use in your home, industry or wherever that goes down the drain, and we essentially treat it here," said Adam Gronksi, plant manager. "We treat it to a standard where basically it's good and safe for the fish and the aquatic species of the waterway that we discharge to."

The massive facility has been the world's largest wastewater facility since it opened in 1930, cleaning an average of 700 million gallons of water per day. In months like January and February, however, when melted snow and rain can add to the wastewater component, or in other rainy months during the summer, the facility can treat up to 1.44 billion gallons per day.

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Taxonomy

• Wastewater Treatment Plant Design