The Race to Reverse the River

Amid a public health crisis, Chicago came up with a bold solution: reverse the river.

From the city’s earliest days, Chicago residents and businesses alike dumped waste into the Chicago River, which flowed into Lake Michigan, contaminating the city’s drinking water, causing widespread disease and death. To combat the problem and save the city, one bold solution was proposed: reversing the flow of the river away from the lake. Audio-narrated descriptions are available.