Water quality has improved dramatically in the Chicago River. But how safe is swimming?

CHICAGO — When organizers announced their plans for an open swim in the Chicago River in September, residents across the city raised their eyebrows.

The days when the river was a dumping ground for the largest slaughterhouse in the world are long past. And, sewage that once flowed directly into the river is now funneled through wastewater treatment plants first. But when powerful storms hit the city, sewage and stormwater runoff spill into local waterways raising bacteria levels.

Caitlin Jonassen, a lifelong Chicagoan, said she would not even consider swimming in the river. Last year, she said she was getting in a kayak near the end of the swim’s planned course when she fell in.

“Not only was it freezing, and I was extremely grossed out by the masses of who knows what floating close by, but I actually broke out in a horrible rash all over that took a couple of days to clear,” Jonassen said. “It was a pretty horrific experience. As a Chicago native, I wish the river could be cleaned up enough where I would trust swimming in it, but for now it’s extremely far away from that for me.”

Still, swimming in the river, which has improved dramatically over the past few decades, can be done safely, according to many experts.

“A lot of people think about the Chicago River as being super gross, super polluted,” Elsa Anderson, an assistant professor of environmental science at Northwestern University, said. “And at one point in time, that was true. But with the Clean Water Act in the early 1970s, it’s not.”

Anderson said scientists have been able to measure the river’s improvement by looking at the vast increase in fish and plant species. The river has become a thriving wetland, according to Anderson.

Since the announcement of the race three weeks ago, more than 1,100 swimmers have applied to compete, said organizer Doug McConnell, who emphasized that safety is a priority. McConnell is still working on getting approval from the city.

McConnell, who has swum the English Channel, Manhattan Island and Tampa Bay, said participants will be heavily screened and carefully selected.

“We are going to make sure the people that actually go into the water are really qualified,” McConnell said. “These are people who have swum the English Channel, swum Amsterdam, or done other urban swims and know what they’re getting themselves into.”

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