Chicago, often referred to as the “Windy City,” encountered a fundamental issue that influenced its growth: plumbing. Initially, the city drew its drinking water from Lake Michigan while simultaneously channeling its sewage into the Chicago River. This river emptied directly into the lake, resulting in a public health crisis characterized by recurring outbreaks of illnesses like typhoid, cholera, and dysentery.
In response, Chicago took an ambitious engineering approach: altering the river’s direction. The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal was constructed, extending 28 miles, to divert the river’s flow away from Lake Michigan. This remarkable endeavor, which commenced in 1892, was the most extensive earth-moving project of its era and ultimately inspired the construction techniques employed for the Panama Canal.
On January 2, 1900, despite resistance from downstream Missouri, which feared contamination of its water supply, Chicago changed the river’s direction. Missouri filed a lawsuit in the case of Missouri v. Illinois, but the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Chicago in 1906. The reversal of the river significantly lowered disease rates in the city.
Currently, the Chicago River continues to flow in reverse due to engineered locks and controls. Nonetheless, during intense storms, it may occasionally revert temporarily to its original flow. The canal, vital for Chicago’s sanitation, now also addresses ecological issues like preventing the spread of Asian carp into the Great Lakes. As discussions persist about the possibility of re-reversing the river, visitors can still observe this remarkable feature: a river flowing away from its original mouth.