Quote:
Originally Posted by Baronvonellis
I've seen the river and I just really don't find the river on the north side attractive at all. Lots of shit and trash in the water, it's disgusting. Maybe I'm spoiled growing up in Florida. With crystal clear spring fed rivers, where you can see all the way to the bottom.
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you're certainly entitled to your opinion, but my guess is that's it's a minority one (especially given your rather obscure point of reference that crystal clear florida spring water rivers are the only kind that can be nice), because all of the people that i have personally taken on the river have always reacted with
"holy shit, this is so awesome! i had no idea this has been right in my back yard all of these years". it's typically an eye-opening experience for chicagoans who have been trained to view the river as nothing more than an open sewer for generations now.
as to your point about the river being polluted,
it doesn't have to be that way. if more chicagoans were exposed to how nice the river is by having greater access to it, perhaps we could bring greater political pressure to bear to improve it even more than the great strides it's already made over the past several decades. MWRD water sterilization is coming, and that will further help the water quality issues of the river. 40 years ago, the river was dead; a toxic lifeless cesspool. today there's now something like 3 or 4 dozen species of fish in the river. when i'm out kayaking, i see beavers, muskrats, turtles, and multitudes of different water fowl species. it's a veritable wildlife haven that cuts right through the urban city.
and if we continue to work to make it better, it will get better! mother nature is one hell of a resilient woman!
sorry for getting on the soap box, but as an avid river kayaker i'm quite passionate about the chicago river.
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