Chicago River celebrates Earth Day despite not feeling well

25-Apr-13 – (Above) Results of informal measurements performed on the Chicago River on Monday, which was Earth Day. The temperature of the river was about 46 degrees Fahrenheit. On the plus side, volunteers for Friends of the Chicago River found no nitrates and the pH level was just about normal.

However, there are more dissolved solids, more phosphate, and less dissolved oxygen in the river than there should be. The water is cloudy and the river tests positive for the E. Coli bacteria that cause intestinal issues.

The environmental organization figures the overall health of the river is 45 percent of what it should be.

The five-story McCormick Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum was open on Monday and admission was free. Students from Young Women’s Leadership Charter School – located near McCormick Place – helped museum staff answer questions from visitors.

(Above) Claire Snyder (left), education and paddling program coordinator for Friends of the Chicago River, and students from Young Women’s Leadership Charter School take the temperature of the Chicago River on Monday. They also measured such things as level of dissolved solids, which is high, and level of dissolved oxygen, which is low. (Click on images to view larger versions.)