Chicago Drainage Canal Constructed

Date Range
1887 – 1922
Title
Chicago Drainage Canal Constructed
What occurred
Prior to the canal's construction, nearly all of the city's sewage was pumped directly into the lake. This posed a problem once the water cribs were built because drinking water came from the lake through these water cribs. Fears of Typhoid and Cholera led the city to construct a massive drainage canal to divert sewage all the way to the Des Plaines River in order to preserve drinking water.
Location
Chicago, IL
Image Citation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Sanitary_and_Ship_Canal
Student name(s)
Max Levenson
Item sets
American Environmental History Student Submissions

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