Sustainable Solution for Chicago River Contamination

Sustainable Solution for Chicago River Contamination

Chloe Barnes University of Kentucky GEO316: Environmental Sustainability & Development Dr. Farris December 6, 2022

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Motivation Statement The Chicago River is located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It has been contaminated since 1885 when a violent storm flooded the river with around 1.5 million tons of sewage. The type of bacteria in the river originates from human bodies. It is called fecal coliform and is from human intestines and other warm-blooded mammals (Coliform Bacteria in Drinking Water, n.d.). Additionally, more recent pollution since industrialization of the city that is a large factor of the contamination can be sourced from various factory sites as well. These century-old pollutants settled on the bottom of the river, chemicals and bacteria that survive the wastewater treatment processes, and runoff and raw sewage that sometimes enters the waterways during rainstorms (Can We Swim in the River Yet?, 2017). Also, every year for St. Patrick’s Day the city dyes the river neon green, which leaves potentially harmful chemicals behind in the water. High coliform counts in the river don’t directly harm human health but acts as a water quality indication. Their presence in the waterways proves that pathogens, which are diseased causing organisms, could be in the water. Pathogens are a harm to human health. The illnesses or diseases people exposed to this contamination would be infections such as pneumonia (lung infections), the common cold or flu, measles, chickenpox or shingles, warts, and even oral and genital herpes. Other illnesses would be asthma and even meningitis.

Increased vegetation and natural planting areas is not only needed to help filtrate the water system and remove waste and bacteria from the river, but it could also potentially cool the air within the city. If our cities remain as primarily concrete pavement and buildings for much longer, they will only become hotter hot spots and absorb more heat over time which also has harmful health impacts on city residents.

Sustainable Plan The main purpose of sustainable development is to help meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. There is an ethical and ecological necessity to filter and clean the water in the Chicago River since it is contaminated with wastewater and other toxic chemicals. My specific sustainable development plan complements the Chicago riverwalk in the downtown. Along the riverwalk, floating plants and emergent plants should be planted in floating pots to not only create a greener look to the 2

river, but also to filtrate the water. Both floating and emergent plants help to absorb nutrients and block sunlight to help keep water cooler in warmer seasons, which improves water quality.

Emergent plants grow underneath the surface of the water, but their leaves and flowers extend above the waterline (Pond Plants That Help Filter Pond Water, n.d.). These plants help to absorb the excess nutrients and nitrates that algae need to bloom, and these can easily be planted in shallow planting baskets, which is best for my plan along the riverwalk. Of course, the exact species of plant will have to be carefully chosen due to the amount of sunlight they might be receiving, and the possible harsh movement of water. The plants must be carefully chosen as well because it must be kept in mind that the river is still highly used for boats and water recreational purposes. However, floating plant boxes are easy arrange and re-arrange if needed, and it would be easy to switch out plants to keep the scenery looking fresh and beautiful for each different season.

I also hope to extend the riverwalk, because it does not cover the entirety of the river length within the heart of the city or even on the southern end where the lower-income communities are located. Planting these could also help to create habitats for aquatic life in the river, which would then allow for fish species to thrive right within the city. The second development plan is to create eco-parks from now barren industrial sites.

An example I’d like to build off is a project called the Wild Mile, which is a project underway already in the North of downtown Chicago. It is the “firstever mile-long floating eco-park in the world” and will be built along the “east side of Goose Island between Chicago Ave and North Ave” (Wild Mile Chicago, n.d.).

The purpose of this park is to build a renewed urban ecology for more recreational uses of the urban waterways in Chicago and to naturally filter the water to help clean and conserve it.

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Through several community meetings to hear resident opinions on the project during the course of the design process, many people can express their ideas and opinions and have their voice heard. It is important to involve the community in which one is designing a sustainable development project.

Critical Insights: Political In 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of Illinois, filed a motion asking the federal district court in Chicago to approve a decree with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD). This settlement was put in place to help protect public health and improve water quality by capturing high flows of storm water and wastewater from the combined sewer system that serves Chicago and 51 surrounding communities (US EPA, 2015). The project was a tunnel and reservoir plan to add 8.3 billion gallons of storage capacity - this quadrupled the prior capacity, and it also reduced combined sewage overflow incidents The Deep Tunnel project was intended to help remove contaminants from sewage overflows out of rivers, so it addressed part of that problem. The “Wild Mile” is a more recent project that addresses the issue in a natural way in the city, also addressing industrial contamination.

The “Wild Mile” can be described as a sustainable development solution, purposed by the City of Chicago in 2017 by the Chicago Plan Commission. Public meetings were held in 2018 and 2019 to build on the vision, and the goal was to help create cleaner, healthier water, and more vibrant wildlife ecosystems (Wild Mile Chicago, n.d.). The purpose behind this project is to bring more natural spaces to the city. It will act as a place for water recreation, as well as a walking path floating on the water surrounded by natural looking plant life.

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The design is purposely natural looking, rather than a “perfected” design that looks obviously human-created. It offers the exact opposite feeling a typical urban riverfront would give you, comfort, even though it is located right in one of America’s largest cities. The design has high potential to bring the community together to help increase social ties as well. Green development like this can create a feeling of calmness and a more comforting environment since it would feel less man-made. There’s a softness that can be brought to cities in ways we have rarely experienced before, and I think this specific development is headed in the right direction for the future of American cities, and potentially cities worldwide. Overall, this project has many reasons as to why it will be a great addition to the city of Chicago.

Both projects are related because they are addressing the same problem, but at a different scale with a different strategy. Since both of these development projects were so different but dealt with the same overall issue and were both successful, I believe my plan to create a greener riverwalk would be a success as well.

Critical Insights: Economic The sustainable development plan to create a greener, more sustainable, and longer riverwalk should be financed through grants, donations, and partnerships with large organizations. Since the City of Chicago has many large museums such as the Field Museum, and the Museum of Science & Industry, some money could be secured through these institutions.

Sponsors who are wealthy enough should be considered for helping contribute to this project.

Once the project is built however, it will need to be maintained to continue looking nice for tourists and residents living near the area.

The Wild Mile is using city grants, donations, and partnerships from large organizations like the Shedd Aquarium (Wittich, 2022). A fundraiser is also being held to help pay for Wild Mile, so in that case, anyone who is willing to help by their own choice can help contribute to the total cost to have it built. Initially, they set up a volunteer program, which wouldn’t necessarily help benefit the total cost, but would help spread the word for people to pitch in and donate some of their time for a good cause. Since this is already happening for a project that will greatly benefit the city, I believe the same strategies could be utilized for my project on the riverwalk.

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Some government funding should be a part of the funding strategy as well, for the city to make sure they are able to pay for this project and others like it. There are state and federal grant programs for environmental projects like Wild Mile, which can benefit disadvantaged communities or address the environmental problems in a unique way. For example, there are Illinois EPA grant programs that relate to my project that could be utilized in this case: ‘Water Quality Grants’ is a program where the Illinois EPA manages several programs that offer grants to help implement local water projects, as well as a ‘Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)’ program, which assists Illinois communities that do not receive a HUD direction entitlement allocation with meeting their greatest economic and community development needs (Grants & Loans - Grants & Loans, n.d.). These can both help fund my project, as well as assure low-income Chicago residents a fair chance at being able to afford a project as large as this one would be.

Architects, engineers, and urban planners would all collaborate to create this project and to make sure it would be successful in the end. There could be obstacles they encounter in the process however, such as the community disagreeing with some ideas they may have. It is important to listen to people’s concerns and try to understand what they may want instead and to make that a part of the design instead of brushing it off.

Community meetings are extremely important for my project design process in order to make sure that the residents living in the area get to know exactly why it is being built, how much it will cost, what it will look like in the end, and they will also be able to voice their opinions and ideas. Although there will be professionals that would actually complete the design process, low-income Chicago citizens should be allowed to have a say during that process so the people with the power to make the important decisions are at least influenced by the people who will be living near it. This matters because everyone, no matter what level of wealth or social status should have a right to voice their opinion when it comes to new development in their neighborhood or community area. The city would end up benefiting economically because more people would be drawn to the city, and so local businesses would gain more business and tourism would increase significantly as well.

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Critical Insights: Social, Cultural & Environmental Justice The City of Chicago is very segregated.

According to the historical background, white people are concentrated on the north end of Chicago, while black people are historically located in the south side of Chicago. This is clearly seen in a diagram in an online article, and the author states that “black residents of Chicago are also among the most isolated of urban dwellers, with an isolation index of 62.8, according to the Brown University study. That means Black residents are most often exposed only to one another, not members of other races or ethnic groups” (Cherone & News, 2022). In this specific diagram, the red dots are represented as White Chicago residents, blue dots represent Black residents, and green represent Latino residents. From this, you can see the clear pattern of segregation.

Although people are beginning to attempt to fix segregation issues in major cities, the idea of the white savior complex is common, which can be defined as “an ideology that is acted upon when a white person, from a position of superiority, attempts to help or rescue a BIPOC person or community” (What Is White Savior Complex—And Why Is It Harmful?, n.d.). This of course doesn’t seem bad right away, but when white people try to help minorities, they may be trying to solve a problem in the wrong way. It essentially acts as a form of blindness because someone with experiences and a way of life so different from those they may be trying to help can alter their point of views and think they’re helping when really, they are only making the situation worse. They may not actually listen to what local residents would need, but rather they come up with a solution on their own and think it is the best scenario. This is a common issue but 7

can begin to be fixed with more community-based meetings for similar projects. This would allow people to speak their minds before anyone in a position of power comes up with a solution on their own.

The Wild Mile on the North side of Chicago is historically wealthier. Thus, expanding and adding greenery directly in other areas of non-wealth is important. Lower-income neighborhoods in Chicago should be a priority, especially since low-income areas tend to have more industrial sites and more pollution. This directly effects air quality; it is hotter in the summer and can also affect human health. The low number of trees and landscaping can also impact people’s mental health. Since both physical and mental health can be affected by a lack of access to natural surroundings such as eco-parks, large trees, and healthy landscaping, cities need to begin planning more natural spaces like the Wild Mile. This could improve resident’s health and well-being significantly and bring a newer and brighter look to the city – this could attract more tourists and potentially even more residents.

Summary The Chicago River is deemed toxic and has been unsafe to drink or swim in for many years. My plan for sustainable development is to add floating plant life in the water to filter and clean the water, and to help create natural habitats for fish species so aquatic life can prosper directly within the city.

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The main goal is to create an environmentally healthier city, beginning with the Chicago River. The City of Chicago has never had an environmentally friendly or green reputation, so my hope is to improve that image. My goal is to make sure Chicago is less of a “concrete jungle”; a nickname often given to large cities. I believe that cities will become the most important aspect of human living in the future, so we should begin to design more “natural” spaces since it is important to live amongst nature in the first place.

Adding the riverwalk was a step in the right direction, but now even more can be done to improve the image of a green city for Chicago. Humans and animals benefit from access to nature, so the areas where most humans will live, cities, should begin to develop more greenery into urban design.

Conclusion Since the project won’t directly affect the source of the problem and pollution, it won’t completely solve the environmental problem occurring. Despite this, my plan provides for a sustainable solution that helps address the problem, and that also has other benefits for the city, such as providing aquatic life plants to call their home, the riverwalk will be expanded and become even more popular for tourism and recreational use, the water will have a natural filtration and cleaning system, and the greenery will act as a barrier by slowing run-off and decreasing the amount of on-land pollution such as contaminated rainwater or chemical leaks.

The value of this sustainable development matters because it will bring Chicago one step closer to becoming a cleaner and more environmentally friendly and efficient city. The more greenery planted overall will create less of the “concrete jungle” aesthetic, and it also creates a more suitable space to live in, in order for residents of all neighborhoods to live a completely healthy and happy lifestyle.

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Bibliography Can We Swim in the River Yet? | The Chicago River Tour with Geoffrey Baer. (2017, November 8). WTTW Chicago. https://interactive.wttw.com/chicago-river-tour/can-we-swim-river-yet Cherone, H., & News, W. (2022, February 18). How Did Chicago Become So Segregated? By Inventing Modern Segregation | FIRSTHAND: Segregation. WTTW Chicago. https://interactive.wttw.com/firsthand/segregation/how-did-chicago-become-so-segregatedby-inventing-modern-segregation Coliform Bacteria in Drinking Water. (n.d.). Washington State Department of Health. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/drinkingwater/contaminants/coliform Grants & Loans—Grants & Loans. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2022, from https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/grants-loans/Pages/default.aspx Pond Plants That Help Filter Pond Water. (n.d.). Smartpond. Retrieved December 5, 2022, from https://smart-pond.com/blog/pond-plants-help-filter-pond-water The Wild Mile Chicago. (n.d.). The Wild Mile Chicago. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.wildmilechicago.org US EPA, R. 05. (2015, May 22). Chicago Area Waterway System / Chicago River (Illinois) [Overviews and Factsheets]. https://www.epa.gov/il/chicago-area-waterway-system-chicago-river What Is White Savior Complex—And Why Is It Harmful? (n.d.). Health. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://www.health.com/mind-body/health-diversity-inclusion/white-savior-complex Wild Mile Chicago. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.chicago.gov/content/city/en/depts/dcd/supp_info/wild-mile.html Wittich, J. (2022, July 13). The Wild Mile’s First Stretch Is Ready, Bringing Floating Gardens, Paths And More To Chicago River’s North Branch. Block Club Chicago.

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https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/07/13/the-wild-miles-first-stretch-is-ready-bringing-floatinggardens-paths-and-more-to-chicago-rivers-north-branch/

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