Everyday, 70,000 people pass over the Chicago River unaware of the city’s adverse impact on its founding resource. (Most days the Chicago River exceeds state standard levels of disease-causing germs.) “Congress Filter” strives to elevate the river in an effort to educate the public on our efforts to improve river health.
River water and any flow from combined sewer outfalls are intercepted and pumped through a filter up to iconic waterfalls. A series of floating platforms sequentially treat the water to a level of swim-ability through aeration, sediment collection, bio filtration, and ultraviolet cleansing.
Where the south and north filters meet; a shallow swimming pool forms. Imagine a day when swimming in the river is a summer ritual!
Drag the slider left and right to see how this site looks now compared to if this idea were built.
