Join the community in celebrating our past, present, and future by
Redefining
the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
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Why redefine the canal?
More than a century after the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal was opened to reverse the flow of the Chicago River away from Lake Michigan, the 28-mile waterway is ready to be redefined to more broadly support human, ecological, and economic health.
Already so much of the Canal is teeming with life thanks to the action, advocacy, and massive investments in infrastructure which have improved water quality, reduced sewage and pollution, and opened the waterway and the lands along it to new uses.
Redefining the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal would help to showcase its natural, economic, and cultural value as an important part of the larger Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Area, and launch a new way of thinking about this unique regional waterway.
The story from the start
A brief history of the waterway
Long before Native American tribes settled the region, a natural portage linking the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River was formed surrounded by an abundance of prairie, forest, wetland, river, and lake ecosystems.
This portage made transit between the watersheds of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River easier for the Indigenous peoples who lived here for millennia, and for the settlers who came later. The development of the Illinois & Michigan Canal in the mid-19th century inspired the explosive growth of Chicago. The city's rapid development resulted in the heavy pollution of the river and Lake Michigan, the city's source of drinking water.
Nineteenth century engineers devised a plan to reverse the river's flow to eliminate the lake's continued contamination, by digging the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. This redirected the City's waste away from the lake to the Mississippi River. Though a benefit to the health of Chicago's population, those downstream objected. The plan involved building an upgraded replacement for the I&M Canal. After years of laborious effort, the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal was completed in January 1900 and has been in continuous operation ever since.
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, Cook County, DuPage County, Will County, and municipalities from Chicago to Lemont to Lockport continue to invest millions in clean water, riverfront amenities, and growing their riverfront economies, contributing to improving community and environmental health.
More public and private businesses in the logistics, materials, industrials, recreation, and other industries are contributing to the area's economic success while taking proactive steps to act as stewards of the canal and surrounding ecosystems. Environmental and community groups are strong advocates for equitable access and environmental justice along the canal.
Our goal is to gather the voices of the Canal community to redefine the future of the Canal through a discovery process that will build momentum and broader understanding of the value of the waterway, and lead to investments in public health, conservation, cultural resources, economic strength, climate resilience, and a new name. A new name would more accurately reflect and celebrate the Canal's improved health and its place in our collective history--and bright future.
About the Coalition
We are a group of nonprofits, governments, elected officials, businesses, and engaged citizens with a shared goal of celebrating the cultural and industrial history of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal by redefining the canal and modernizing its name to reflect where we have come from, and where we are going.