Overview

• The inaugural Chicago River Swim is scheduled for Sept. 21 with hundreds of qualified participants in a supervised open‑water event.
• Organizers present the swim as a visible milestone in the river’s recovery rather than an all‑clear for routine public swimming.
• The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s Deep Tunnel—109 miles of tunnels and reservoirs—has sharply reduced combined sewer overflows.
• After 2011, EPA pressure led to higher water‑quality standards that require wastewater disinfection before discharge.
• Nonprofits restored habitats and banks as tools like H2NOW report fecal indicator levels every 15 minutes, and once‑rare fish species have returned.