Turning the Tide: MWRD Votes to Disinfect Area Rivers

Photo: Sarah Ji

Openlands celebrates the landmark decision by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) to disinfect 1.2 billion gallons of effluent discharged daily into Chicago’s waterways. Forever altering the course of history for the Chicago River system, this decision is the culmination of years of studies and more than 40 days of testimony before the Illinois Pollution Control Board (IPCB) by Openlands and a coalition of local environmental groups, including:

• Chicago Legal Clinic,
• Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC),
• Friends of the Chicago River,
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC),
• Prairie Rivers Network, and
• Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter

But it’s only recently that the tide began to turn:

• On May 11, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) directed the state to rewrite its proposed water quality standards to protect people who are swimming, kayaking, or otherwise getting wet (and likely swallowing water) while recreating in and on the Chicago and Calumet rivers. Days later, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk pledged bipartisan support to help find federal funding for disinfection. Senator Durbin also vows to foster roundtable discussions to build consensus about how and when we can make this historic change (see below).
• Newly inaugurated Mayor Rahm Emanuel agrees and “backs the U.S. EPA’s push to improve water quality.” He strongly believes the Chicago River is the city’s future recreational frontier, and as such, also an economic asset.
• On May 17, on the heels of the U.S. EPA directive, American Rivers named the Chicago River the fourth most endangered river in the nation because, according to ELPC’s Jessica Dexter, the water “is crawling with pathogens from human waste” that can make people sick. NRDC’s Ann Alexander stated, “We can’t have a world class city like Chicago with a Third World river running through the heart of it.”
• On Tuesday, May 31, the Chicago City Council heard testimony from representatives of the MWRD, as well as Openlands and coalition members, advocating for an end to this polluting practice. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Health & Environmental Protection Committee proposed a resolution to clean up the Chicago River—43 aldermen expressed support for the measure.
• The following day, Senator Durbin held the first roundtable discussion on this issue and invited speakers both in opposition to and in support of disinfection.  Susan Hedman, EPA Region 5 Administrator, expressed that it was “time for Chicago to catch up with other cities,” a sentiment shared by many others in attendance. Of 23 major metropolitan areas, Chicago is the only city that does not disinfect its effluent.   
• On Thursday, June 2, MWRD deferred the vote on disinfection, even though Commissioners Santos, Alvarez, Shore, Meany, Horton, and Spyropoulos went on record in support of disinfection.
• After a special study session on Tuesday, June 7, MWRD commissioners vote 8 to 1 to disinfect Chicago area rivers.

Why you should care
MWRD’s decision to disinfect will dramatically reduce the number of disease-causing germs in the treated sewage that it discharges into the Chicago Area Waterways Sytem (CAWS), including Giardia and Salmonella, which can infect both humans and wildlife.

Equally important, disinfection makes good financial sense. At IPCB proceedings last year, Openlands President & CEO Jerry Adelmann and Assistant Greenways Director Laura Barghusen gave expert testimony about why it is crucial to clean up Chicago area waterways, demonstrating how communities from Skokie to Calumet are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in their waterfront economies. The City of Chicago, for example, has dedicated more than $100 million for its downtown river walk, which hosts cafes, boat cruises, and local artisans. The Chicago Park District spent about $27 million on six river front parks and $15 million on five boat launches. Additionally, other communities across the region have invested over $18.3 million on restoring Chicago’s rivers.

These investments have already spurred new economic growth. Three boat liveries in Chicago generate a half million dollars in revenue, and Calumet marinas garner about $5 million annually. Communities, especially in the Calumet region, are framing waterways as a healthy amenity to attract new homes and green industry. What’s more, according to a study released by the Illinois Attorney General’s office, “Restoring water quality would provide a $1 billion boost to the economy—from recreation alone—in the next 20 years.”

As part of its new policy, MWRD also agreed to expand riverfront access for recreation. As co-author of the Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Trails Plan, Openlands invites MWRD and communities along Chicago's rivers to collaborate on new places for boat launches and riverfront parks, transforming our waterways into nationally renowned recreational and economic amenities.