There's Poo in That There River

By Andrew Peerless in News on Apr 25, 2005 7:05PM

It turns out the Dave Matthews Band aren't the only ones dumping poo into the Chicago River.

Boating and river-based recreation have increased in recent years due to the well-documented improvement of the Chicago river, but things aren't actually as clean as they seem (and we know how, every time you stare into those murky, brown depths, cleanliness is the first thing that springs to mind). Apparently, during heavy rains, nearly 250 pipes funnel industrial and human waste directly into the river, introducing 10 billion gallons of waste water into the river system last year alone. That is, quite simply, nasty.

The city, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to actually warn boaters that the water through which they steer their crafts is filled with potentially harmful pathogens and bacteria; each of those aforementioned drainage pipes will be adorned with a new sign explaining the true content of our "second lakeshore."

Oh, and not to dwell on this whole DMB thing, but Chicagoist is a bit nauseated by the name of their new Ben & Jerry's flavor.