The Chicago River Is Still Full Of Human Waste: Study

By Kate Shepherd in News on Aug 28, 2015 5:41PM

Don't plan on swimming in the Chicago River anytime soon—As beautiful as it looks and no matter how many tourists flock there, it is still full of human waste.

High levels of fecal bacteria were discovered in more than a dozen spots along the river from downtown to the North Side to Bridgeport during testing by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, according to the Tribune.

For decades the river was the dumping ground for the city's waste. In fact engineers reversed the river away from Lake Michigan so the waste wouldn't flow in the city's drinking water.

Despite efforts to turn it into a recreational river, waste still ends up in the water. The waste regularly leaves disease-causing germs in levels above state standards for recreational waterways, the Tribune reported. Bacteria levels frequently increase during and after rainstorms.

There have been many improvements to the river over the years and more are coming by next summer. Disinfection equipment will be used to improve water quality, David St. Pierre, the water reclamation district's executive director, told the Tribune.

Even after the disinfection starts, city and district officials will not be providing public updates about water quality and potential health threats like they do for Lake Michigan.

"We're at this point where recreation is booming, but we still aren't where we need to be when it comes to water quality or informing the public about what's in the river," John Quail, director of watershed planning at Friends of the Chicago River, told the Tribune.