Why is the Chicago River Dirty?

The largest source of fecal coliform in the Chicago River is the city's combined storm-sewer system, which was designed in the 1850s, when freshwater was a seemingly endless resource, major rainfall events were less frequent, and the population was a fraction (literally one hundredth) of what it is today.

Is Chicago River water dirty?

The river — particularly the Downtown portion — is far cleaner than it was in years past, when it was murky and full of litter. But it's still home to bacteria, like any natural body of water, and there's boaters, kayakers and others to contend with.

Is there poop in the Chicago River?

The truth is, this isn't something unique to just the Chicago River. Fecal coliform is put into every river by both animals and humans, and occasionally worsened by severe weather events. "Extreme rain events can lead to something called combine sewer overflows," Harkness explained.

Can u swim in the Chicago River?

All of Chicago's rivers will achieve the water quality standard set for them by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2011—primary contact waters that allow for safe swimming, paddling, fishing and more.

Why is the Illinois river so dirty?

Pollution Threats to our Rivers

Literally thousands of pollutants find their way into Illinois rivers. These chemical and biological pollutants include pesticides, fertilizers, nutrients, metals, organochlorines, pharmaceuticals, pathogens, and sediment.

How Chicago Reversed Its River: An Animated History

Are there fish in the Chicago River?

Chicago River: Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Rock Bass, Crappie, Catfish and Carp.

What is at the bottom of the Chicago River?

Now to get all literal, at the very bottom of the river is rock — Niagara limestone, to be exact. According to David M. Solzman's book The Chicago River, the ancient bedrock of the river was formed a few hundred million years ago when what's now Chicago was covered by a salty sea.

Why does the Chicago River smell?

In the 1800s, the river was teeming with human waste, as well as animal products from the meat packing industry – causing foul odors to emanate throughout the city. To make things even more challenging, much of Chicago's drinking water came from these infected waters.

Where does Chicago dump its sewage?

Chicago uses a combined sewer system, meaning that stormwater and wastewater are handled by the same sewers and treatment plants. During large storms, it may be necessary to dump excess from the sewers into Lake Michigan.

How deep is the Chicago River?

How Deep is the Chicago River? At its deepest point, the Chicago River is 21 feet deep. It runs 156 miles from start to finish, with three main branches — North, Main, and South — along the way.

Is Chicago River Sewage?

What was the environmental cost of reversing the direction of the Chicago River? The reversal of the Chicago River in large part succeeded, and has mostly protected Lake Michigan from Chicago's sewage, "preventing thousands of people from dying from a rogue's gallery of waterborne illnesses," as Mogerman puts it.

How Clean Is Chicago water?

Chicago tap water is generally safe to drink and tastes great. Unfortunately lead is often found and even if it's usually below regulated levels there is no safe level for children. Therefore it's recommended to use an affordable faucet filter certified for lead removal such as TAPP.

Why is the water so green in Chicago?

The Chicago river has a distinctive color (and I don't mean St. Patrick's Day green) that is the result of the river's clay bottom, lake water, and algae: a lovely blue-green, best seen on warm weather days. (The lake water has only been part of the river's composition since the river was reversed in 1900.)

How did they clean the Chicago River?

Finally, in 1900, the Sanitary District of Chicago, then headed by William Boldenweck, completely reversed the flow of the main stem and South Branch of the river using a series of canal locks, increasing the river's flow from Lake Michigan and causing it to empty into the newly completed Chicago Sanitary and Ship ...

Can you swim in the Illinois River?

Data shows that bacteria are present in the Illinois River. Don't swim in water with a temperature greater than 80°F (If the water does not feel cool when you first enter it, then it is likely greater than 80°F). Don't swim if you have cuts or scrapes. Don't swim after a heavy rain.

Where does our poop go in Chicago?

From the toilet, your poop flows through the city's sewage system along with all the water that drains from our sinks, showers and streets. From there, it goes to a wastewater treatment plant.

Is Chicago sinking?

Chicago and parts of southern Lake Michigan are sinking approximately four (10 cm) to eight (20 cm) inches each century. More than 20,000 years ago, much of the Earth — including what is now Chicago — was submerged under enormous sheets of glacial ice.

Where does toilet waste go in Chicago?

There is a reason they are called the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canals. The article explains, which I hadn't known despite spending significant time in the Windy City, that Chicago's sewage treatment system discharges only lightly treated fecal matter into the canals and river.

Why does Chicago sometimes smell like chocolate?

In 2014, DNAinfo spoke with Ian Petchenik, who started tracking where Chicagoans can smell the Bloomer Chocolate factory each day. Petchenik said the map began as a joke after an out-of-town friend mentioned that she noticed the chocolate smell that permeates the air along the Chicago River.

Why does Chicago Loop smell like chocolate?

West-northwest winds bring the cocoa smell along the river and into the Loop today. The winds will be light, but consistent. Help make the Chicago Chocolate Smell Area map more accurate! If you can smell the Blommer Chocolate Factory, submit a Smell Report here or tweet @ChiCocoaSmell.

Why does the Chicago River flow backwards?

Chicago River Mouth

When raw sewage and other pollutants were dumped in the river, they flowed into Chicago's primary source of drinking water. As the city grew, fear of disease spread, and officials decided to permanently reverse the river's flow, sending its polluted water to the Mississippi River instead.

Why does the water bubble in the Chicago River?

Slaughterhouses within the Union Stock Yards dumped tremendous amounts of animal waste, blood, and offal into the creek, using it as an open sewer. So much refuse was poured into the river that hydrogen sulfide and methane, the results of decomposing carrion, began to bubble to the surface.

What feeds the Chicago River?

Chicago's main water supply has always, unsurprisingly, been Lake Michigan, not the Chicago River. During the Industrial Revolution, the Chicago River became polluted with animal waste, sewage, factory runoff and general filth.

Does the Chicago River freeze?

The Chicago River doesn't completely freeze. Certain sections along the North Branch, for instance, freeze almost every year. If the surface of the main stem in downtown Chicago freezes, the city operates an ice breaker to free up the waterway for safety purposes.

Can you eat fish from Chicago River?

Most of the fish in the Chicago River and its connected channels are safe to eat, though the state advises people to limit consumption of certain species to avoid highly toxic chemicals known as PCBs, another legacy from a century of industrial pollution.