Chicago Waterway Research Articles

Natural shorelines support greater diversity and abundances of fishes than armoured shores along Chicago's waterways

Abstract Shoreline armouring is one of the most ubiquitous alterations to aquatic systems globally. Armouring and hardening to prevent erosion and maintain land uses reduce or eliminate habitat complexity that softer and more natural, vegetated shorelines offer. The effects that shoreline armouring has had on biodiversity of coastal and estuarine communities are well studied, while studies in freshwater systems remain sparse. Data collected during a large‐scale long‐term fish survey with high spatial resolution from the Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee's Monitoring and Response Work Group were re‐analysed to assess the effects that bulkhead versus natural shorelines have on fish diversity and abundance. Lengths of bulkhead, natural and riprap shoreline were calculated within 300 m of each sampling location, which occur every 100 m throughout the Chicago Area Waterway System. Water depths of each sampling location were also classified into deep (>6 m), mid‐range (4–6 m) or shallow (<4 m) to account for potential variations in gear efficiencies. Fish species richness and abundance increased with increasing proportions of natural shoreline, which can be contrasted with stronger (i.e., steeper slope) decreases as proportions of bulkhead shorelines increased. The results show strong evidence for the negative effects of shoreline armouring of freshwater ecosystems and are consistent with those shown in coastal ecosystems studies. As cities continue to encroach on freshwater systems, greater emphasis on maintaining natural riparian shorelines and ecoengineering hardscapes will increasingly be important for freshwater conservation.

Increased fishing quality of Chicago's waterways following the Clean Water Act

AbstractAs conditions of Chicago's (Illinois, USA) waterways improved following implementation of the Clean Water Act, interest in recreational use of the waterways continued to grow, but the ability of this system to support quality recreational fishing opportunities remained unclear. We analyzed historical electrofishing data (1985–2020) to determine the status and trends in body‐size metrics of fish populations throughout Chicago's waterways. Many species exhibited increases in abundance, size, and diversity of lengths. Despite these increases, the number of quality‐sized or larger fish was sparse. While many species increased in abundance, Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) and Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) declined in abundance during 2001–2020. Improvements to the availability and diversity of key habitats within Chicago's waterways would likely improve target fish demographics further and resultant recreational fishery opportunities.

Finding a New Illinois History: Connecting with the Revival of Midwestern Regional History

Finding a New Illinois History: Connecting with the Revival of Midwestern Regional History

Decreases in wastewater pollutants increased fish diversity of Chicago's waterways

Throughout much of the globe, rivers are used to dispatch treated and untreated wastewater to the detriment of receiving ecosystems. Surprisingly, few studies directly relate water quality variables to fish community responses in receiving waterways on timescales that encompass the incremental and compounding improvements to wastewater infrastructure over time. Chicago (Illinois, USA) represents one such city, within which sits a series of waterways whose flows are primarily controlled by effluent discharges from three large wastewater treatment plants. Random forest regressions were used to construct models which predict changes in fish species richness within the Chicago Area Waterways over a period of 35 years from data on water quality and weather. The average number of species found at any one location across the Chicago Area Waterway system increased from ~5 to ~12 between 1985 and 2019. Decreases in concentrations of variables related to wastewater effluents (i.e., phenols, fecal coliforms, and nitrogenous compounds) were identified as highly informative, allowing increases in species richness to be predicted with a relatively high accuracy (R2 ≥ 0.49). Weather variables (particularly those related to snow and freezing temperatures) were only important predictors in a section of waterway which does not receive wastewater effluent, although consistent increases in rainfall were noted for Chicago and in chloride concentrations within the waterways. Increased rainfall events and harsher winter conditions (induces greater chloride runoff) threaten the progress made to lessen the effects of wastewater on the region. Improvements to how wastewater is treated, and subsequent reductions to harmful constituents of effluents, have improved the aquatic ecosystem and are likely responsible for the increased species richness over the 35-year timeframe studied.

Increasing fish diversity of Chicago's waterways

Descriptions of shifts in biodiversity across time are desired for urban freshwater systems to better study ecosystem change and causal mechanisms. I document changes in fish diversity within the Chicago Area Waterways across 35 years using a battery of diversity metrics calculated on both abundance and biomass data. Has diversity of Chicago's waterways changed over 35 years and if so, do different diversity metrics exhibit different trends or breakpoints in trends? Diversity of the fish assemblage increased across the three decades of study. Breakpoint analysis suggested that trends across the timeseries were nonlinear. Changes in dominant species influenced behavior of less traditional metrics, whereas Margalef's Richness, Shannon-Weiner, and Gini-Simpson appeared more robust. Increases in richness and taxonomic diversity combined with decreases in species dominance suggest an ecosystem of increasing quality. The fish community of the Chicago Area Waterway System is more diverse both in abundance as well as biomass (i.e., energy flows) in the late 2010's than it was in the late 1980's. Although external factors related to wastewater treatment increased water quality and likely led to these assemblage-level changes breakpoint analysis did not allow verification of causal mechanisms.

1004. Cladophora in Lake Michigan May Serve as Important Reservoirs for Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

BackgroundCladophora is a green algae, native to the Great Lakes, and found in large quantities along Lake Michigan shorelines. Previous studies have shown that Cladophora provide protection and nutrients for the Enterobacteriaceae (Ent) family, allowing persistence and regrowth. Chicago waterways harbor concerning antibiotic-resistant (AR) Ent, however the community reservoirs are unknown. Our primary objective was to assess whether Cladophora harbor AR Ent and to secondarily assess AR Ent in local beach waters where Cladophora are present. Figure 1. Map of Lake Michigan showing sites (S1-S3) where Cladophora samples were collected. NB, North Beach, Racine, Wisconsin; Michigan City, Indiana; PL, Portage Lakefront, Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana. Figure 2. Map of Lake Michigan showing sites (S4-S7) where beach surface water samples were obtained. Montrose, Foster, 63rd St, & Calumet beaches in Chicago, Illinois.MethodsCladophora were processed from three Indiana Lake Michigan sites (S1 and S2; Fig 1) in 2002 and 2012 (S3; Fig 1) at the USGS Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station (Chesterton, IN). In 2015, surface water samples were obtained by the USGS at four Chicago beaches (S4-S7; Fig 2), which also amass Cladophora. Bacteria were isolated shortly after collection. In 2019-2020, Ent were cultivated and susceptibilities were performed at Rush.ResultsIn 2002-2003 (S1 and S2), 160 E. coli were cultured from Cladophora. There was AR to multiple classes, highest overall in tetracyclines (7.5%, range 6.2%-18.7%), cefoxitin (8%), and cefazolin (5.6%). Resistance to cefuroxime was 0.6%. Four Salmonella isolates from 2012 (S3) were pan-susceptible, while two Citrobacter isolates were resistant to penicillins, 1st and 2nd generation cephalosporins, and cephamycins. Beach surface water samples from 2015 revealed more pronounced AR in E. coli (n=185) involving multiple classes, including highest in ampicillin (12.4%), tetracyclines (8.1%); piperacillin (7%); cefazolin (3.8%), cephamycins (3.2%) and amoxicillin-clavulanate (2.7%). Resistance to 3rd-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole ranged from 0.5-2%. AR Ent varied by beach site with highest percentages at S4, the only site with an associated dog beach. ConclusionThese findings suggest that Cladophora in recreational waterways may serve as reservoirs for AR Ent. Differences in AR Ent at beach sites may reflect varying degrees of fecal contamination. Identifying community reservoirs is key to better understanding the acquisition of antibiotic resistant Ent among healthy populations and has long-term ecological and public health implications.Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Sound walking Chicago's waterways

What are the creative possibilities of studying soundscape ecology as citizen scientists for raising engagement with and stewardship of urban health and freshwater? Utilizing everyday technology of sound walks and recordings of Chicago's waterways, students explore sonic layers of interconnections between life in the atmosphere, geosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere. Citizen scientists open noise and liquid definitions of health, learning the history of Chicago's development and imagining the past, present, and future biodiversity of life. Sound walking and analysis of various Chicago sites in the loop, along the river, in parks, at the world's largest filtration plant, and along the lakefront, change understanding and begin new strategies of stewardship. Public and private partnerships with college students, Chicago public school students, Friends of the Chicago River, Chicago Line Cruises, and architectural and ecological researchers share advocacy with diverse audiences through exhibits, installation proposals, water workshops, and field trips. Hush City recordings, Radio Aporee Chicago Maps, sound emporiums, water workshops, tender house Installations, and Eco-Cruises on the river connect the public with the criticality of listening to the health of the city.

A Pilot Study of Chicago Waterways as Reservoirs of Multidrug-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (MDR-Ent) in a High-Risk Region for Community-Acquired MDR-Ent Infection in Children.

Community-acquired multidrug resistant Enterobacteriaceae (MDR-Ent) infections continue to increase in the United States. In prior studies, we identified neighboring regions in Chicago, Illinois, where children have 5 to 6 times greater odds of MDR-Ent infections. To prevent community spread of MDR-Ent, we need to identify the MDR-Ent reservoirs. A pilot study of 4 Chicago waterways for MDR-Ent and associated antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) was conducted. Three waterways (A1 to A3) are labeled safe for "incidental contact recreation" (e.g., kayaking), and A4 is a nonrecreational waterway that carries nondisinfected water. Surface water samples were collected and processed for standard bacterial culture and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Generally, A3 and A4 (neighboring waterways which are not hydraulically connected) were strikingly similar in bacterial taxa, ARG profiles, and abundances of corresponding clades and genera within the Enterobacteriaceae Additionally, total ARG abundances recovered from the full microbial community were strongly correlated between A3 and A4 (R2 = 0.97). Escherichia coli numbers (per 100 ml water) were highest in A4 (783 most probable number [MPN]) and A3 (200 MPN) relative to A2 (84 MPN) and A1 (32 MPN). We found concerning ARGs in Enterobacteriaceae such as MCR-1 (colistin), Qnr and OqxA/B (quinolones), CTX-M, OXA and ACT/MIR (beta-lactams), and AAC (aminoglycosides). We found significant correlations in microbial community composition between nearby waterways that are not hydraulically connected, suggesting cross-seeding and the potential for mobility of ARGs. Enterobacteriaceae and ARG profiles support the hypothesized concerns that recreational waterways are a potential source of community-acquired MDR-Ent.

Reconnecting with the River: A New Look at the Chicago Waterways with Jeanne Gang

Reconnecting with the River: A New Look at the Chicago Waterways with Jeanne Gang

Modeling evaluation of integrated strategies to meet proposed dissolved oxygen standards for the Chicago waterway system

The Chicago Waterway System (CWS) is a 113.8 km branching network of navigable waterways controlled by hydraulic structures in which the majority of flow is treated sewage effluent and there are periods of substantial combined sewer overflow. The Illinois Pollution Control Board (IPCB) designated the majority of the CWS as Secondary Contact and Indigenous Aquatic Life Use waters in the 1970s and made small alterations to these designations in 1988. Between 1988 and 2002 substantial improvements in the pollution control and water-quality management facilities were made in the Chicago area. The results of a Use Attainability Analysis led the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to propose the division of the CWS into two new aquatic life use classes with appropriate dissolved oxygen (DO) standards. To aid the IPCB in their deliberations regarding the appropriate water use classifications and DO standards for the CWS, the DUFLOW model that is capable of simulating hydraulics and water-quality processes under unsteady-flow conditions was used to evaluate integrated strategies of water-quality improvement facilities that could meet the proposed DO standards during representative wet (2001) and dry (2003) years. A total of 28 new supplementary aeration stations with a maximum DO load of 80 or 100 g/s and aerated flow transfers at three locations in the CWS would be needed to achieve the IEPA proposed DO standards 100% of the time for both years. A much simpler and less costly (≈one tenth of the cost) system of facilities would be needed to meet the IEPA proposed DO standards 90% of the time. In theory, the combinations of flow augmentation and new supplemental aeration stations can achieve 100% compliance with the IEPA proposed DO standards, however, 100% compliance will be hard to achieve in practice because of—(1) difficulties in determining when to turn on the aeration stations and (2) localized heavy loads of pollutants during storms that may yield violations of the DO standards even with an extensive network of supplemental aeration stations. Thus, because absolute DO standards that must be met 100% of the time will be difficult, if not impossible to comply with, DO standards that include a Wet Weather Limited Use (WWLU) designation based on rainfall amount triggering CSO events and a maximum duration that the WWLU could be applied should be considered to obtain a healthy ecosystem by applying water-quality improvement features that can be practically operated and maintained. Such a WWLU approach also was evaluated in this paper.

Allocation of supplementary aeration stations in the Chicago waterway system for dissolved oxygen improvement

The Chicago Waterway System (CWS), used mainly for commercial and recreational navigation and for urban drainage, is a 122.8 km branching network of navigable waterways controlled by hydraulic structures. The CWS receives pollutant loads from 3 of the largest wastewater treatment plants in the world, nearly 240 gravity Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO), 3 CSO pumping stations, direct diversions from Lake Michigan, and eleven tributary streams or drainage areas. Even though treatment plant effluent concentrations meet the applicable standards and most reaches of the CWS meet the applicable water quality standards, Dissolved Oxygen (DO) standards are not met in the CWS during some periods. A Use Attainability Analysis was initiated to evaluate what water quality standards can be achieved in the CWS. The UAA team identified several DO improvement alternatives including new supplementary aeration stations. Because of the dynamic nature of the CWS, the DUFLOW model that is capable of simulating hydraulics and water quality processes under unsteady-flow conditions was used to evaluate the effectiveness of new supplementary aeration stations. This paper details the use of the DUFLOW model to size and locate supplementary aeration stations. In order to determine the size and location of supplemental aeration stations, 90% compliance with a 5 mg/l DO standard was used as a planning target. The simulations showed that a total of four new supplementary aeration stations with oxygen supply capacities ranging from 30 to 80 g/s would be sufficient to meet the proposed target DO concentration for the North Branch and South Branch of the Chicago River. There are several aeration technologies, two of which are already being used in the CWS, available and the UAA team determined that the total capital costs of the alternatives range from $35.5 to $89.9 million with annual operations and maintenance costs ranging from $554,000 to $2.14 million. Supplemental aeration stations have been shown to be a potentially effective means to improve DO concentrations in the CWS and will be included in developing an integrated strategy for improving water quality in the CWS.

Evaluation of the Duration of Storm Effects on In-Stream Water Quality

One of the primary reasons water-quality standards are not met is the effect of storm runoff and combined sewer overflows. A methodology is presented here to determine the duration of storm effects on stream water quality. The evaluation of the duration of storm effects on water quality involves two steps. First, calibration of an appropriate water quality model that is capable of simulation of unsteady-state conditions. Second, execution of the calibrated model with a number of storm loadings randomly sampled from a specific probability distribution that represents realistic ranges of pollutant concentrations. When the variations in the simulated water quality variables become negligible, it is assumed that the river system goes back to prestorm, dry-weather conditions. To illustrate this methodology, the DUFLOW unsteady-state water quality model and Latin hypercube sampling are applied to evaluate the duration of storm effects on water quality in the Chicago Waterway System (CWS). The duration of the storm impacts on dissolved oxygen lasts 2days–2weeks in the CWS depending on the location in the system and the magnitude of the storm. Moreover, a strong relation between the precipitation depth and the duration of the storm effects on in-stream water quality constituents was found in the CWS. Outcomes of this research suggest that the duration of the storm effect on water quality can be reasonably predicted with the help of robust unsteady-state water quality models.

Sources and fate of nitrate in the Illinois River Basin, Illinois

Summary We conducted a two-year investigation into the sources and fate of nitrate ( NO 3 - ) in the Illinois River from the Chicago area to the river’s confluence with the Mississippi River. Samples from waterways in the Chicago area (Des Plaines River and the Sanitary and Ship Canal) had relatively high concentrations of nitrogen (N) species and NO 3 - isotopic compositions indicative of treated wastewater (TWW). Downstream of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam, NO 3 - in tributaries discharging to the Illinois River primarily comes from tiles draining row crops. Nitrate isotopic signatures from these tributaries as well as drain tiles were indicative of synthetic fertilizer and/or soil organic matter (SOM) at various stages of denitrification. Nitrate–N concentrations generally decreased in the Illinois River with distance from the Chicago area primarily due to dilution. The decrease in NO3–N concentrations was especially conspicuous during the summer, when there is minimal discharge from drain tiles and NO3–N concentrations in the tributaries were low. In August 2005, when conditions were very dry, NO3–N concentrations decreased from 7.4 mg/L in the Chicago area to less than 1 mg/L near where the Illinois River discharges to the Mississippi River. The isotopic composition of NO 3 - in water samples from the Illinois River were a mixture of three end members: (1) fertilizer and/or SOM in drain tile water, typically showing the least amount of denitrification, (2) fertilizer and/or SOM in deeper ground water, showing the highest degree of denitrification, and (3) TWW. There was seasonal variability, depending on the volume of water flowing in the Illinois River. During high flow periods, river water samples plotted closest to those of tile drain samples; during low flow periods, a greater influence of TWW was observed in the isotopic composition. A subset of summer samples from the Chicago waterways had isotopic values plotting near and within the domain that characterizes manure and sewage. Nitrate in the Chicago area is primarily derived from TWW, with its isotopic signature evident downstream at least as far as Pekin during most of the year and all the way to the Mississippi River during periods of low flow. Denitrification occurs predominantly in groundwater between and away from drain tiles, although there is evidence that in-stream denitrification and/or biological uptake of NO 3 - occurs in the Peoria Lake reach of the Illinois River, at least during periods of low flow in the summer. We calculated that the river was losing about half of its NO3–N load in Peoria Lake in August 2005 (a period of very low flow), at a rate of about 7500 kg/day.

Effectiveness of combined sewer overflow treatment for dissolved oxygen improvement in the Chicago Waterways

An Use Attainability Analysis (UAA) has been initiated to evaluate what water-quality standards can be achieved in the Chicago Waterway System (CWS). There are nearly 200 combined sewer overflow (CSO) locations discharging to the CWS by gravity. Three CSO pumping stations also drain approximately 140 km2. Because of the dynamic nature of the CWS the DUFLOW model that is capable of simulating hydraulics and water-quality processes under unsteady-flow conditions was used to evaluate the effectiveness of water-quality improvement techniques identified by the UAA including CSO treatment. Several CSO treatment levels were applied at gravity flow CSOs to evaluate improvement in dissolved oxygen (DO). The results show that pollutant removal at CSOs improves DO to a certain degree, but it still was not sufficient to bring DO concentrations to 5 mg/L or higher for 90% of the time during wet weather at most locations on the CWS. Flow from the pumping stations results in substantial stress on DO since a huge amount of un-treated water with a high pollution load is discharged into the CWS in a short period of time at a certain location. The simulation results indicate that CSO treatment does not effectively improve DO during wet-weather periods on the CWS.

Calibration of a Continuous Simulation Fecal Coliform Model Based on Historical Data Analysis

Since 1984, the major water reclamation plants discharging to the Chicago Waterway System (CWS) have not disinfected their effluents. The possible addition of disinfection at these plants is the subject of an ongoing use attainability analysis (UAA). For the UAA, Escherichia coli (E. coli) is used as the indicator of bacterial contamination. However, only a few years of E. coli data are available for the CWS and the treatment plants discharging to the CWS. Thus, it was decided to develop a model based on fecal coliforms for which more data are available and to develop a relation between fecal coliform and E. coli counts for the CWS. A 1:1 relation was found between fecal coliform and E. coli counts in the CWS by Limnotech (2004, written communication) as part of the UAA. In order to evaluate the effects of possible disinfection measures on fecal coliform and related E. coli counts in the CWS, a simple first-order fecal coliform decay model was added to the continuous-simulation flow-water quality model DU...