Chicago River canal could soon get a new name

More than 100 years ago, Chicago became home to an engineering feat: the flow of the Chicago River was reversed, diverting sewage from flowing into Lake Michigan, the city’s source of drinking water.

The canal that made it all happen has since been known as the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal.

It’s an unglamorous name. But maybe not for long.

Organizations, including Friends of the Chicago River and Friends of the Forest Preserves, are pushing to change the name of the canal to something more inspired. The current name, supporters of the change say, is too focused on the canal’s past.

People who live and work near the canal want to see more uses of it, said Margaret Frisbie, executive director for Friends of the Chicago River. A new name, she said, could reflect the canal’s importance beyond shipping and sanitary needs.

“Renaming the canal represents the progress we've made, but also the important opportunities the canal presents people who live along it, and they can have a voice,” Frisbie said.

Some may turn up their nose at the word “sanitary,” which may have been its intended use but no longer applies, Frisbie said.

Rich history

The canal, a 28-mile stretch from Chicago’s Lower West Side to just north of Joliet where it joins the Des Plaines River, has a rich history. At the time it opened in 1900 to provide the only way for ships to navigate between the Great Lakes Waterway and the Mississippi River, it was regarded as a win for public health and sanitation and earned the applause of civil engineers.

But the canal and resulting reverse of the river flow was to blame for some environmental calamities, including the measurable drop in water levels in the Great Lakes reported in the 1990s. Around the same time, a leak in Lake Michigan was also attributed to the reversal of the river flow, and environmental advocates worried the canal would lead to an unwelcome increase in barge traffic on the Great Lakes.

The reversal of the river flow has continued to captivate engineers and environmentalists and was partly credited for the growth of the Chicago area. But its evolution has led to questions, too, including whether it would be worth trying to reverse its flow again. The idea never came to fruition.

Some invasive species have thrived in the decades since the reversal of the river, catching the attention of environmentalists and ecologists worried about the overall health of the ecosystem. In 2011, river enthusiasts discussed the possibility of reversing the river once again and how invasive species such as Asian carp have affected the water and ecosystem in a panel hosted by WBEZ.

The canal was also the reason for farmlands deteriorating the years immediately following its opening, some residents said. In 1905, around 300 landowners in the Illinois Valley sued the Sanitary District of Chicago, including one group of sisters who inherited their father's farmland and saw it transform from producing the "best crops in the world" to gathering debris and trash that had floated down the canal.

Environmental questions and controversy have surrounded the canal since its inception and as recently as last year, when the Environmental Protection Agency agreed to investigate a small offshoot of the canal on the Southwest Side after studies found heavy metal contaminants and cancer-causing chemicals.

After news of the EPA investigation, LRS garbage hauler scrapped a pitch to ship the city’s garbage downstate using the canal.

You can weigh in on the name

So what would the new name be? That’s yet to be determined, Frisbie said.

The coalition has released a survey where people can pitch ideas for names and voice their opinions on how the canal should be cared and used. The public will later be able to vote on their favorite names, Frisbie said, before the group submits a name-change application to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The goal is to submit the application by the end of the year, she said.

Renaming a geographic landmark isn't too common. Of 1,400 name-change applications received by the board in the last 10 years, 13 requests were in Illinois, according to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

Anyone can submit a proposal to amend a geographic name, and in order to be approved they must demonstrate local support, according to Shellie Zahniser, Executive Secretary for the U.S. Board on Geographic Names Domestic Names Committee. Before deciding on a name change, the board consults local and tribal governments, federal agencies and anyone else who may be interested.

"The board does not initiate name changes or advocate for specific outcomes," Zahniser said in a statement. "Instead, it evaluates proposals neutrally based on the merits of the proposal. While the board standardizes geographic names for federal use, its decisions do not affect the names used by local or state agencies for the same landmarks."

It's unclear if the coalition will be successful in changing the name, but they are working to garner the support of government officials before submitting the application.

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, which treats wastewater and manages stormwater, said people should voice their opinions through the survey.

“The naming committee is still in the early phase of gathering input and information, so the MWRD cannot comment on the overall likelihood of success, but we encourage people to provide their comments through the survey to ensure that if the canal is renamed, that it accurately represents the history of the canal as well as its intended and current uses,” said Allison Fore, spokesperson for MWRD, in a statement.

Notable supporters of the name change include Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (D-Naperville).

“Modernizing the canal's name will better reflect its role as an economic driver for the region and its potential for recreational development,” Foster said in a statement.