[Kngkyle]

Open-water swim in Chicago River to be held in September, the first in more than 100 years

After 12 years of planning, organizers say an open-water swim in the Chicago River is set to be held in September, after receiving approval from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Swimmers may be hesitant to immediately jump into the river’s murky waters, as some raise concerns about bacteria from untreated sewage. On rainy days, runoff water pollution can occur, and swimmers can bump into boat traffic.

“We wouldn’t want to encourage people to swim in the river willy-nilly because you want to make sure you’re safe,” said Margaret Frisbie of Friends of the Chicago River, a nonprofit focused on the river's health.

That’s why organizers set plans to ensure water quality and safety, leading up to the open-water swim — the first one in the Chicago River in more than 100 years. They will track water quality every 15 minutes, using data from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and the nonprofit water innovation hub Current.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago...ming-education

I'd love to see using the river in this way expanded beyond a charity event. An annual event to go tubing down the river for example would be quite a sight to behold and probably garner as much global publicity as dying the river green. I was in Madrid during St. Patrick's Day weekend this year and they were showing the Chicago River being dyed green on the local news, for example.