Latest news with #FriendsOfTheChicagoRiver
CBS News
08-08-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
After false starts, Chicago River Swim set to go ahead next month
Next month, 500 swimmers will take off on a one- or two-mile swim in open water for the Chicago River Swim. It is a test of endurance and strength, and so was the years-in-the-making effort to get the permit. Organizers tried to hold the swim last year, but it didn't pan out. Stop by the Chicago River on a summer day, and you'll find plenty of kayakers, architectural cruise boats, and people snapping photos and making memories. But swimming, let alone organized swimming in the Main Branch of the Chicago River downtown is not a common sight. But it could become an event like Bike the Drive or the Chicago Marathon. "You know, there's only one day a year I can run down Clark Street, and only one day a year that I can ride my bike on Lake Shore Drive," said Chicago River Swim organizer Doug McConnell. Saturday, Sept. 21, will be the first time in 95 years that the Chicago River will host an official open swim. After years of false starts, they are making space for 500 experienced open-water swimmers to take the plunge. "With a field of 50, we had almost three times that many applications," said McConnell, "so I feel like there's, you know, a curiosity factor if nothing else." There is curiosity for sure, and skepticism for some. The idea is a splash from the past, but one that hasn't been possible until recently. "Frankly, it makes me want to cry," said Friends of the Chicago River executive director Margaret Frisbie. In her 25 years with the Friends of the Chicago River, Margaret Frisbie said she has seen a huge improvement in water quality. "The Chicago and Calumet River system frankly was fenced off. It was polluted," said Frisbie. "On average, I used to be sewage in the river every three days." Organizers say the group Current has real-time sensors monitoring the water now, and they are partnering with University of Illinois Chicago researchers to test the water in for three weeks before the event." Organizers will work with the City of Chicago and the U.S. Coast Guard to close a portion of the river to commercial traffic the morning of the event. The course will be monitored by a hundred people on kayaks, paddleboards, and boats. "We've committed to the swimmers into the city that we're not going to allow swimmers into water that is not safe," said McConnell. Applications are already open, but organizers are only accepting swimmers who can prove they have participated in other open water swim events before. Money raised will benefit ALS research and kid swim safety programs.
CBS News
01-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Trump Tower Chicago agrees to $4.8 million settlement for Clean Water Act violations
The Chicago Trump International Hotel and Tower has agreed to pay a $4.8 million settlement for environmental violations to the Clean Water Act, environmental groups said. Friends of the Chicago River and the Sierra Club announced the settlement Tuesday morning. They said the building has accumulated years of federal and state environmental law violations. Friends of the Chicago River, the Sierra Club and then-Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan sued the organization in 2018 after a violation of cooling water intake was found during a routine permit review. In announcing the settlement, the groups said the Trump International Hotel and Tower had agreed to take steps to come into compliance with the Clean Water Act and Illinois Environmental Protection Act. They also said Trump Tower agreed to pay $1.5 million in penalties to the state, $300,000 in attorneys fees and $3 million toward a Supplemental Environmental Project, which directs funds toward tangible improvements in the areas affected by the violations. A Cook County judge ruled in September 2024 that Trump Tower was in violation of these acts and had failed to comply with state and federal law dating back to before the building opened in 2008, constituting a public nuisance. According to the lawsuit, the tower draws 21 million gallons of water from the Chicago River on a daily basis to cool it, but ignored and violate federal law requirement it to use systems that minimize impact on aquatic life, accurately report water usage, and do so under properly secured permits. CBS News Chicago has reached out to Trump International Hotel and Tower about the settlement and is waiting to hear back.
The Independent
01-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Chicago's Trump Tower to pay $5m for killing countless fish as it pulled water from river for years to cool its building
Trump Tower in Chicago has agreed to pay $4.8 million for killing thousands of fish after years of pulling water from the river to cool its building. A federal judge previously ruled the Trump International Hotel and Tower in downtown Chicago was a public nuisance and an environmental hazard. It was pulling in 20 million gallons of water a day from the Chicago River, the plaintiffs said. Now the First Family 's Chicago holding must cough up after violating federal and state law in the years-long lawsuit brought by Friends of the Chicago River, the Sierra Club and the Illinois Attorney General. 'Trump Tower is one of the largest users of water from the Chicago River for cooling, and failing to follow federal requirements resulted in the death of thousands of fish and other aquatic organisms which were sucked into the building cooling system by the intake structure or trapped against its screens,' the organizations said. The multi-million-dollar settlement includes paying $3 million toward a Supplemental Environmental Project to fund a fish habitat restoration program in the Chicago River. The settlement appears to be the largest Clean Water Act-related resolution in Illinois state court history, according to the organizations. 'Friends of the Chicago River is extremely pleased that much of the money to be realized with this settlement can be used to create and restore habitat in downtown Chicago for fish and other aquatic wildlife,' said Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River. 'Friends will work closely with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the City of Chicago to assure the benefits of the settlement are brought home and the healing process can begin.' Jack Darin of the Sierra Club Illinois chapter said the suit was an important step in 'holding polluters accountable.' ' This vigilant defense of our water, air, and land is more important now than ever, as our federal government's ability to crack down on polluters is disappearing before our very eyes,' he said. Trump Tower must also pay $1.5 million in penalty fees to Illinois and $300,000 in attorneys' fees. The suit also said that Trump Tower failed to accurately compute and report the rate at which the skyscraper's cooling system withdraws water by approximately 44 percent for more than 10 years. The tower sits at 401 N. Wabash Avenue and opened in 2009. It was operating without a proper state water permit and did not accurately report water discharge levels, the lawsuit said. Cook County circuit court Judge Thaddeus L. Wilson previously ruled that the Trump Tower could not even genuinely dispute that it violated the applicable laws.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Chicago River Day' shows progress with less trash, more wildlife
The Brief More than 2,700 volunteers cleaned up 92 sites across the Chicago and Calumet rivers on Saturday. Organizers say river health is improving, with 80 fish species now living in the waterway. Wildlife sightings and smaller, windblown trash signal long-term progress. CHICAGO - Volunteers turned out by the thousands on Saturday to help clean up Chicago's river system, marking the 33rd year of the annual "Chicago River Day." What we know More than 2,700 people gathered at 92 locations along the Chicago and Calumet rivers to remove trash. The event, organized by Friends of the Chicago River, has grown significantly since its first cleanup in 1992, when only 25 volunteers showed up. This year's cleanup effort underscores how far the river system has come. "There's so much less garbage than there used to be," said Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River. "People used the river as a dumping ground. And instead, today, that's gone." Frisbie said most of the large, intentional dumping is no longer an issue. "What we're seeing is food-related garbage and a lot of plastic," she said, estimating that 80% of the trash volunteers collect now is small, windblown plastic debris. Big picture view The improving state of the river system is backed up by more than just less trash. Organizers noted the presence of 80 fish species now living in the river—an increase that signals healthier water. Volunteers also reported seeing beavers, turtles, and even river otters along the banks, all signs that the river is supporting more diverse wildlife. The Source The information in this article was provided by the Friends of the Chicago River.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Chicago River Cleanup attracts record-breaking number of volunteers
CHICAGO – The annual Chicago River Cleanup event was held Saturday morning and this year's event attracted the most volunteers ever. Volunteers gave just a few hours of their time for a decades-long project that has really shown its worth. They spread out more than 150 miles of the Chicago and Calumet River System to spruce up and make a difference. Three-thousands volunteers from the city and suburbs joined Friends of the Chicago River, cleaning up 92 spots along the Chicago and Calumet rivers. 'It's kind of a new passion for me. I have some young people in my life who are interested in the clean water supply just doing different projects at school and it peaked my interest. So the youth inspired me,' volunteer Amaris Hill said. Chicago volunteers unite for Earth Day cleanup in Humboldt Park Over the last 33 years, they've carted off hundreds of tons of trash, removed invasive plants and restored open spaces. When this all started, rivers were fenced off and polluted with garbage, sewage and industrial waste. 'We've done so much as a region and a community and groups like Friends to bring recreation back. So you see canoes and kayaks and people on paddleboards and people fishing, really just to make the river a second waterfront for the city,' John Quail with Friends of the Chicago River said. The rivers are now home to 80 species of fish, more than 200 species of birds and other wildlife. Community hubs, including Canal Shores in Evanston, were also at Saturday's event to educate the public about the River Shallows Project. Stabilized riverbanks are good for the river and help neighboring communities mitigate the impacts of climate change. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
