Chicago River
, NE Ill.; formed in Chicago by the junction of
its North (24 mi/39 km long) and South
(10 mi/16 km long) branches; flows SE via a
canal into the Des Plaines R. at Lockport; 41°53'N 87°36'W. The
river formerly flowed E, then NE via a channel, into L. Michigan. Its
course was reversed by the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The use of
L. Michigan's water to flush the canal was a heated political issue
finally settled in 1930 when the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a reduction
in the amount of water being diverted from the lake. This decision
forced Chicago to build sewage treatment plants. The channels of the
Chicago R. and the North Branch have been improved to aid deep-draft
vessels and barges.
Capital city or county seat is shown by the symbol
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