Picture this a waterway that not only reversed a river’s flow but also changed Chicago’s destiny. We are standing at the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Western Avenue. This canal is more than just a channel. It is a testament to human ingenuity and a turning point in Chicago’s history.
The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, initially named the Chicago Drainage Canal is 28 miles long. It connects the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River. Before 1900, Chicago’s sewage flowed into Lake Michigan. This contaminated the city’s drinking water. People feared outbreaks of typhoid fever cholera and dysentery. The solution was to reverse the Chicago River’s flow. This sent sewage inland for treatment.
The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal also replaced the Illinois and Michigan Canal. The old canal was too shallow and narrow. The new canal is much larger. It is 202 feet wide and 24 feet deep. This allows bigger ships to navigate. The Illinois and Michigan Canal became a secondary route. It closed in 1933 when the Illinois Waterway network was created.
Did you know that building the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal was great practice for engineers? They later used their skills to build the Panama Canal. Today the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago operates the canal. The American Society of Civil Engineers named it a Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium in 1999. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
Back in the late 1800s Chicago’s sewage flowed directly into Lake Michigan. The city got its drinking water from the lake too. A storm in 1885 washed refuse far into the lake. People worried about a huge epidemic. The Illinois legislature created the Sanitary District of Chicago in 1889 to address this problem.
Engineer Isham Randolph found a ridge about 12 miles from the lakeshore. It divided the Mississippi River drainage from the Great Lakes drainage. Native Americans used this as the Chicago Portage. The Illinois and Michigan Canal cut across this divide in the 1840s. The plan was to cut through the ridge again and carry wastewater away from the lake. It would flow through the Des Plaines and Illinois rivers to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.
Construction wasn’t easy. In 1893, about 2000 union workers went on strike. They protested a wage cut. Reports say that quarrymen marched along the canal project armed with clubs and revolvers. There were clashes with replacement workers and law enforcement. The governor called out the National Guard. Several people died. The strike ended on June 15.
The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal opened on January 2 1900. This linked the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River. However the full flow of water wasn’t released until January 17. From 1903 to 1907 the canal was extended to Joliet. The Sanitary District of Chicago wanted to replace the Illinois and Michigan Canal.
The canal’s flow is controlled by the Lockport Powerhouse and sluice gates. Pumps at Wilmette Harbor also help. The North Shore Channel was added in 1910. The Calumet-Saganashkee Channel followed in 1922. Building the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal was the largest earth-moving project in North America at the time.
However, the canal also led to legal battles. It diverts water from Lake Michigan into the Mississippi River watershed. This concerned the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. States and Canada argued about the diversion. The Supreme Court made decisions about it in 1925 and 1929. In 1930, the Army Corps of Engineers took over management of the canal.
Today diversions from the Great Lakes are regulated by treaties and agreements. Despite its benefits the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal has faced pollution issues. The system discharges lightly treated fecal matter into the canals.
In recent years, the canal has faced a new threat Asian carp. These fish could migrate into the Great Lakes. In 2009, officials used fish poison to try to kill the carp. Michigan even sued to close the canal.
The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal remains a vital waterway. It shows both human achievement and ongoing challenges. As we stand here we recognize its impact on Chicago and beyond. Its story is one of innovation conflict and constant adaptation.