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2h ago

Chicago River Hosts First Sanctioned Public Swim in Nearly a Century

Decades of cleanup, with testing meeting EPA fecal-coliform benchmarks, enabled the sanctioned swim.

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Overview

  • About 300 swimmers completed a mile-long loop on Sunday, marking the first official Chicago River swim since 1927.
  • Pre-event sampling showed fecal-coliform levels within EPA standards, and organizers scanned the course for hazards and vetted entrants.
  • Participants could choose one- or two-mile routes, with kayakers and volunteers stationed along the course for safety.
  • The event raised more than $100,000 for Northwestern University’s ALS research and $50,000 for the Kroc Center, according to organizers.
  • River advocates hailed the milestone as the product of sustained restoration efforts and warned that weaker federal enforcement could jeopardize gains.