Chicago (May 12, 2011) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today notified the State of Illinois that water quality standards for portions of the Chicago and Calumet Rivers must be upgraded to protect the health and safety of people who recreate in these waterways. The changes are necessary because an increasing number of people are coming into direct contact with the water through kayaking, canoeing, boating, jet and water skiing and other forms of recreation.
To attain the new water quality standards, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago will likely be required to disinfect sewage discharged into the waterway system from its North Side and Calumet treatment plants. MWRDGC ceased disinfection at these facilities in the mid-1980s.
"The Clean Water Act requires water quality standards that protect people who use the river," said U.S. EPA Regional Administrator Susan Hedman. "A decade of investments in walkways, boat ramps and parks has provided people with access to the water - and now we need to make sure that the water is safe."
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