City To Spend $16 Million On New Boathouses
CHICAGO (AP) -- Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says four boathouses along the Chicago River will draw numerous visitors and are the first step to improving the quality of the waterway.
Emanuel on Monday announced the construction of the boathouses. He says they'll cost about $4 million each and will have concessions and kayak rentals. They're expected to be finished by 2013.
City officials spoke little of efforts to clean the river, which has long been a source of debate. Chicago is the only major U.S. city that doesn't disinfect waste water before discharging it.
However earlier this summer, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago voted to disinfect waste water dumped into the Chicago River. That happened following lawsuits and a federal order.
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