Water Reclamation District Votes To Disinfect Chicago River Sewage
CHICAGO (STMW/WBBM) -- The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District on Tuesday voted to clean up the Chicago River by ending the practice of dumping partially treated sewage into the waterway, a decision environmental groups took credit for provoking. WBBM's Craig Dellimore reports from the Loop.
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All MWRD commissioners, except president Terrance O'Brien, voted in favor of a new policy position that supports disinfecting sewage dumped from the North Side and Calumet treatment plants, a release from the National Resources Defense Council said.
Effluent from the plants, which is full of bacteria and pathogens from sewage, makes up 70 percent of the water in the Chicago River waterway, which includes the Calumet system, the release said.
Last week, the Illinois Pollution Control Board issued a proposed decision that largely reinforces policies put forth by the U.S. EPA. The Pollution Control Board will take public comments this week before issuing a final decision June 16.
The EPA, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, Gov. Pat Quinn, Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan and the Chicago City Council have all called for disinfection of sewage and cleaning up of the river.
© Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2011 & WBBM contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
