Good News for Chicago Waterways!

Senator Durbin cut the ribbon last Friday at the Calumet Water Reclamation Plant, as new disinfection equipment was dedicated at this Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) facility that treats wastewater for one million people living in South Chicago and surrounding suburbs. The new treatment will kill pathogenic bacteria in the wastewater that is discharged to…

Another Exciting Step For the Chicago River

Today’s announcement that the U.S. Department of Transportation is considering financing for the Chicago Riverwalk is the next exciting step in the recovery of the Chicago River. For over a century, Chicagoans looked at this river as a way to get our sewage out of town, but those days are fading fast. The people of…

The End of An Era – MWRD Votes To Disinfect Chicago River

Today’s vote by the Board of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (WRD) Board of Commissioners to reverse its longstanding opposition to disinfecting the effluent it discharges into the Chicago River system marks the end of an era.   Today’s vote means that soon Chicagoans can fully enjoy the Chicago River without worrying about getting sick.   It…

MWRD Delays Disinfection Decision

We are very disappointed that MWRD failed to take action today in support of disinfecting the Chicago River.   Despite the heroic efforts of Commissioners Alvarez, Shore, and Spyropoulos to clean up the river, the MWRD Board did not act on a proposal that they reverse their longstanding opposition to disinfection. Enough already – Chicagoans have…

Chicago River Named One of America’s Most Endangered Rivers

Today a national river advocacy organization, American Rivers, named the Chicago River as #4 on its annual list of most endangered rivers in the country.    According to American Rivers: Every day, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) dumps 1.2 billion gallons of undisinfected wastewaterinto the Chicago River. This wastewater comprises 70 percent of all the…