81 Chicago River Facts: The Water Body That Flows Backwards

The river that turns green during St. Patrick's Day, the Chicago River is one of the most significant rivers in the world.

It is quite interesting to learn about this river that flows through the city of Chicago. Let's discover some essential facts about this river, that passes through downtown Chicago, in addition to other places.

The Chicago River is a river system that runs through Chicago, a city in Cook County, Illinois, with a length of 156 mi (251 km) and a depth of 21 ft (6.4 m). Although not a long river, the Chicago River plays a significant geographical importance in the city of Chicago.

Pioneer Court, which is the site where Jean Baptiste Point du Sable first arrived in Chicago, is located on the north bank of the river close to the Chicago Landmark Michigan Avenue Bridge.

This river is widely popular for its natural and human-engineered features. In the year 1887, the Illinois General Assembly decided to reverse the flow of the river by sourcing the water from Lake Michigan and engineering the flow towards the Mississippi River watershed.

This decision was partly taken due to the rising concerns that were created by a serious weather event that became a critical threat to the city's water supply in the year 1885.

If you love reading river facts, further reads like Chenab River facts and Cape Fear River facts might interest you too.

Fun Facts About Chicago River

The Chicago River system is a fascinating piece of art that was worked on collaboratively with mother nature and humans.

You must have come across the fact that the river in Chicago is dyed green on St. Patrick's Day in downtown Chicago, as a local custom, but ever wonder how they must do it? One thing that one should never miss while in Chicago, and St. Patrick's Day, of course, is the green Chicago River.

This dye comes from over 40 lbs (18 kg) of environmentally friendly dye.

The Chicago River is the only river system in the world that flows in reverse. The river drains away from Lake Michigan, which provides drinking water to the city.

It was implemented after a severe storm brought contaminated water into Lake Michigan during the storm of 1885, which led to the construction of a canal in 1900 to reverse the river's flow.

In the year 1832, the first bridge over the Chicago River was built over the North Branch near the present-day Kinzie Street. Later in the year 1833, the second bridge was laid out over the South Branch near Rudolph Street.

And then finally in the year 1834, the first movable bridge was built across the main stem at Dearborn Street.

By now, there are a total of 38 movable bridges over the Chicago River, spanning across it. These include several different types of bridges, such as Scherzer rolling lift, vertical lift bridges, swing bridges, and trunnion bascule.

Chicago River Pollution

When the storm of 1885 dumped sewage water into Lake Michigan, the realization of the cause of such problems forever changed the way people treat this river.

For a long time, there have been significant changes in the water quality and riverbanks of the Chicago River system due to industrial and residential development.

By the later half of the nineteenth century, the river was starting to raise concerns among civilians about the threat the river water was posing upon public health.

The Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago built two engineering projects between 1889 and 1910 to divert river wastes away from Lake Michigan and direct the river to flow into the Des Plaines River.

Between the years 1889 and 1990, the 28 mi (45 km) Sanitary and Ship Canal was constructed.

The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal are also commonly known as Chicago Drainage Canal. The flows from Lake Michigan and Lockport were then diverted into the Des Plaines Canal, in addition to the Des Plaines River by locks near Lake Michigan and at Lockport.

Wastewater from northern suburbs was diverted into the North Branch by the completion of the 8 mi (13 km) North Shore Channel in 1910.

As commercial and industrial activities along the river have declined, attention has been paid to its aesthetic and ecological values. In the late twentieth century, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District developed its 'Deep Tunnel' project as a way to divert stormwater from the Chicago River System.

The primary role of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) is to reclaim and treat wastewater and reduce floodwaters in Cook County to protect public health and safety.

If you visit Chicago's River on a usual day, you will notice striking blue water that fits so perfectly with the city's architecture. This distinctive color is the result of the river's clay bottom, lake water, and algae: a beautiful blue-green color that is best seen on warm, sunny days.

The river system of Chicago has thus come a long way from the 1885 event with the help of proper supervision of Greater Chicago authorities.

Facts About Chicago River's Importance

The Chicago River has played a quintessential role in the development of the city as well as supporting healthy natural resources.

For much of the nineteenth century, Chicago's meatpacking and lumber industries flourished along the Illinois River.

Trade and shipping were made possible throughout the Midwest by the Illinois and Michigan Canal's access to the Des Plaines and the Mississippi river systems. The river, near its connection with the canal at Bridgeport, was developed into a series of wholesale lumber docks.

As a drainage system for meatpacking plants and stockyards, the river served two sewers, one of which was infamously known as 'Bubbly Creek' which directly flows south into the South Branch, which provided fresh water to cattle troughs upstream of the stockyards.

In terms of the importance of Chicago's River in correspondence to nature, the river also helps in connecting the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River Basin.

Chicago River Fishing Facts

The river is home to several freshwater fish species including largemouth and smallmouth bass, rock bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish, carp, and crayfish. 

If you love freshwater fish, fishing in the Chicago River could grab some of your attention towards it. The Chicago River and many seawalls, piers, and revetments along the lakefront attract many fishing enthusiasts in addition to harbors and lagoons.

Some of the famous fishing sites in the Chicago River include Canal Origins (2750 S. Ashland Ave.), Canalport Riverwalk (2900 S. Ashland Ave.), Chicago River Walk (Lake Shore Drive & the River - Lake Street Bridge), among others.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 81 Chicago River facts: the water body that flows backwards then why not take a look at Chang Jiang River facts, or Chenab River facts?