Every year American Rivers lists America’s Most Endangered Rivers, and every year the Chicago River is one of them.
Well, that may change in 2012.
American Rivers posts periodic updates about the dubious rivers they shame every spring, and the river advocacy group now says the Windy City’s twisting stream of sewage is cleaning up its image — and water.
For years the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District has spewed bacteria-filled sewage into the river without disinfecting it by using ultraviolet light, which kills the germs. The EPA and environmental groups pushed the city for years to add the disinfection step — a step that almost every other major city does.
But the notion was that no one used the river.
The Chicago River's water is about 70 percent non-disinfected sewage. Photo: ser.ddima (Flickr)
And then urban adventure seekers started coming out of the woodwork. Paddlers and anglers started playing in sewage right in the middle of America’s third largest city. So this past spring the EPA told the city to adopt water quality standards that are safe enough for people to be in the water— or else.
The Illinois Pollution Control Board and the water reclamation district finally acquiesced.The city sent new standards to the feds, they were approved in November and water reclamation district officials have started planning to add the disinfection step at two of their plants by 2016.
So, not only might the river find its way off the infamous list but Chicagoans will soon not be playing in poop.
A win — win, I’d say.
With the Asian Carp the Illinois river is the most Bio-polluted river in the world!
excellent reporting, Brian
Interesting that small towns near me have tertiary sewage treatment, but, Chicago hasn’t yet come into the 20th Century. I’m sure that most major population centers spew their crap into the environment, a sign of population politics.
Good story Brian!
They’ll still be “playing in poop”, but at least it will be disinfected. The bigger problem with the river is that it is the conduit by which thousands upon thousands of Asian Carp will soon use it to enter the Great Lakes…if they haven’t done so already.
Delisting when the disingection will not start until 2016?? Hope not..Planning to add disinfection – no financial plan for construction??
A lot can happen in Chicago between now and 2016. Let’s not give them the cookie until they eat their spinach.