Chicago to delay plan for open water swim

Chicago to delay plan for open water swim

Chicago will delay an open-water swim in the Chicago River at least one year. Doug McConnell said that it was difficult to convince the departments Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Transportation and Fleet and Facility Management, among others, to permit the historic swim.

McConnell and Don Macdonald wanted to have 2.4-mile open water swim in the Chicago River in September. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events informed the team last week that the swim would need to be postponed. A new target is been set amid the delay. The new target for the swim is set for in September 2020. The route of the swim will be from Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown and ending at the Clark Street Bridge in the Loop.

McConnell said that there was an additional difficulty as well to get the permit as there was confusion as to who could give them the green light for the swim. McConnell said, “Because it hasn’t been done for nearly 100 years, there isn’t a defined path that you’re supposed to take to get something like this approved.”

McConnell said that the intention of the swim is to celebrate the improved water quality of the river since the 1970s. The improved water quality was possible due to numerous restoration efforts. Chicago has hosted a series of competitive races to showcase the newly clean river after the river’s direction was reversed in 1900. McConnell said. “The river is once again clean, so let’s celebrate that.”

Aquatic biologist with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Thomas Minarik said that the quality of water in the river may have improved but there is still the possibility of dangerous bacteria in the river.

Staff writer for the Chicago Morning Star

Related Posts
UAW extends strike to factories in Chicago and Michigan
According to UAW President Shawn Fain on Friday, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union will
Communities in Chicago are tense due to the city’s intersecting housing issues
Mayor Brandon Johnson has had to deal with two housing issues simultaneously during his first
Chicago’s new apartment building drops
A new study predicts that 6,160 new apartment units will be constructed in Chicago this
Chicago is getting closer to eliminating tip pay
In Chicago, servers who depend mostly on gratuities may disappear by the end of the
As emotions grow, Democrats will debate in the New Hampshire primary
In the midst of an internal party conflict that has heightened tensions between members and
The White House struggles with immigration to placate its leftist supporters
The Biden administration is treading carefully in order to placate Democratic mayors and governors who
Chicago Mayor: Some migrants may be relocated to tent “base camps”
In order to get migrants out of police stations before winter, Chicago's mayor Brandon Johnson
Indianapolis has several retail medical facilities
According to recent statistics from the health care analytics company Definitive Healthcare, there are around
How to navigate Chicago traffic on Labor Day
On Chicago's roads, this will be a significant day. Why it matters: Avoid spending all
Hurricane Idalia sweeps the Southeast
On Wednesday morning, Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Florida's Big Bend, posing what official forecasts