Change comes slow. Especially when it runs headlong into 150 years of history. That is certainly the case with the Chicago River, a waterway long maligned and mistreated at the heart of this city.
The unplanned flow of contaminated water into Lake Michigan is a serious possibility. This situation is another mind-blowing signal that we have to rethink how we manage the Chicago River.
The next 50 years of climate change are already baked into the cake, so we need to get serious about dealing with the changes already upon us. We must think big, while also deploying the tools we have now that can help us meet the immediate challenges.
Can we improve our reuse of water? Can we enhance our wastewater treatment to produce water fit for beneficial purposes? More water quality testing, better wastewater treatment and acknowledgement of this recycling is needed.
While we celebrate the civilizing influence of indoor plumbing on International Toilet Day, there is nothing civil about the Greater Chicago Region dumping intestinal miasma on our southward neighbors.
A mainstay on the Chicago River and the transit method of choice for harried downtown commuters, the Wendella Chicago Water Taxi celebrates its 50th a...
Continuing his push to ramp up tourism revenue for the city, Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday unveiled ambitious plans to expand the Chicago Riverwalk. ...
Sometimes you need a new perspective on things to see them clearly. Take the Chicago River. Many of us interact with it on a daily basis, but in a passive manner. And, yet when we do pay attention, we don't think of the river as a resource.
The summer is getting away from us! We've now entered August and the clock is ticking to get out and enjoy the great weather in this living and breathing city.
Paramedics say a man who fell into the Chicago River Wednesday afternoon might have drowned had a nearby kayaker not come to the rescue. A man dres...
Last week must have looked like a dismal week for the folks overseeing the efforts to keep invasive Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.
CHICAGO -- Chicago dyed its river green, bagpipes sounded on New York's 5th Avenue, and in Georgia, crowds waited for 30 minutes to buy beer for break...
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to order emergency measures that might prevent Asian carp from reaching the Great L...
Today we can ponder what our region might have been like had we not reversed the Chicago River. It's a puzzle we're grappling with now as we contemplate carp, climate change, and a livable city for the 21st century.
Given the withering and unfair attacks launched at the EPA from those who would undo the protections that Americans have come to rely on for their health and safety, it was good to see the President recently take a stand.
CHICAGO — Seven vinyl banners draped this month along one of Chicago's most iconic bridges, advertisements some have dubbed "a visual crime" and...
No single solution can be immediately deployed that will address the many ills of the Chicago River -- or those in most of our urban waterways. What is required is steady, thoughtful and determined work.
The mayor's announcement was a strong, public down payment on the vision of transforming the Chicago River into a clean, safe, and usable "backyard" for Chicago.
While we could quibble with some of the letter grades assigned, Senator Kirk deserves much credit for putting together a valuable document that can help stimulate policy discussions about the health of the Great Lakes.
Today's vote by the MWRD Board of Commissioners means that soon Chicagoans can fully enjoy the Chicago River without worrying about getting sick.
Senators and other elected officials have joined the public outcry for cleaning up the waterway and restoring it to meet acceptable standards for public health and safety. But this is not just an icky sewer problem.
For years many have fought to clean up the Chicago River. One massive obstacle has prevented real action -- the regulators responsible for the Chicago Waterways, MWRD. It is time for MWRD to get in line.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an order on Thursday that has been long suggested and long resisted: the city of Chicago must make the...
by Andrew Stern CHICAGO (Reuters) - Environmental groups on Tuesday sued the city of Chicago's water treatment authority, charging its sewage p...
Though St. Patrick's Day is a few days away, Chicago celebrated on Saturday with the annual dying of the Chicago River and St. Patrick's Day parade do...
