SWIMMERS ARE EXPECTED TO MAKE A SPLASH DOING SOMETHING THAT NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO SAFELY DO.

AND MORE THAN 100 YEARS SWIM IN THE CHICAGO RIVER.

WELL, SOME ADVOCATES SAY THE EVENT IS A DEMONSTRATION OF HOW THE RIVER'S WATER QUALITY HAS BEEN IMPROVED.

OTHERS ARE SKEPTICAL.

JOINING US NOW, OUR DOUG MCCONNELL, THE EVENT ORGANIZER AND FOUNDER AND CEO OF A LONG SWIM.

AND MARGARET FRISBIE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FRIENDS OF THE CHICAGO RIVER.

THANKS TO YOU BOTH FOR JOINING THANK YOU.

OF COURSE.

SO DO WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO ORGANIZE A SWIM IN THE CHICAGO RIVER >> WE FORMED A LONG SWIM, WHICH IS A NONPROFIT AND WE USE IT RAISE MONEY FOR A L S RESEARCH OVER AT NORTHWESTERN'S MED SCHOOL.

WE IN ADDITION TO A BUNCH OF LONG SWIMS THAT I HAVE DONE.

WE ALSO HOST SWIMS FOR OTHER PEOPLE AND SAW A VERY CREATIVE USE OF URBAN SWIMS AROUND THE WORLD AND THOUGHT, BOY, THAT LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE CHICAGO RIVER.

SO STARTING 11 YEARS AGO, WE WE WORKED AND THIS EVENT AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S COMING TO A BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S COMING BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR 11 YEARS AND OBVIOUSLY A LONG SWIM.

L S BEING YOUR AKRON SIEMENS FOR A LESS WHICH VERY MEDICAL TERM.

BUT I WON'T BOTHER TO MESS UP RIGHT NOW.

>> I'M DOUG.

THE METROPOLITAN WATER RECREATE RECORD RECLAMATION DISTRICT SKEWS ME SAYS THAT WHILE WATER QUALITY IN THE CHICAGO RIVER HAS IMPROVED, THERE ARE STILL HAZARDS.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO MITIGATE THOSE DANGERS LIKE BOAT TRAFFIC.

THE CURRENTS.

>> WE'RE WORKING UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE U.S. COAST GUARD BECAUSE THE CHICAGO RIVER IS A FEDERAL WATERWAY AND THE AND THE COAST GUARD HAS PLANS TO CLOSE THE RIVER FOR THE FOR THE TIME OF OUR EVENT, WHICH IS GOING TO BE EARLY ON A SUNDAY MORNING IN SEPTEMBER AND MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S NO EVENT TRAFFIC.

THAT'S THAT'S PUTTERING BY IN ADDITION THERE IS THERE ARE SONAR READINGS THAT ARE DAWN OF THE UNDERWATER AREAS OF MAIN STEM OF THE OF THE RIVER WHERE WILL BE SWIMMING AND JUST TO ASSURE THAT THERE ARE NO OBSTACLES.

>> OBVIOUSLY, FOLKS ARE REACTING REACTING A LOT SOME WITH LITTLE BIT OF HUMOR, A FEW TWEETS OR POSTS ON THE FORMER SAW ON THE SITE FORMERLY KNOWN AS TWITTER, GRUMPY DAD SAID SIMPLY, YEAH, AND I THINK YOU DON'T SEE THE MOVING AT THE WHERE ALLIGATORS CHASING THE SWIMMER.

LOGAN BELLOWS SAYS ONLY ONE WAY TO MAKE IT SAFE AND HE LOOKS LIKE HE'S GOING FOR SUPER DEEP WATER DIVE LONG TIME AGO.

AND THE CASUAL FAN WROTE, QUOTE, A LIST OF RECOMMENDED PRECAUTIONS BEFORE SIGNING UP.

TETANUS BOOSTER, HEPATITIS BOOSTER, PRACTICE SWIMMING IN DEEP WATER KEPT DON'T PARTICIPATE IN THIS EVENT.

MARGARET, REMIND US HOW THE CHICAGO RIVER CAME TO BE SO POLLUTED HAS TO BE UNSAFE FOR SWIMMING.

WELL, YOU KNOW, I'LL START BY SAYING IT IS SAFE FOR SWIMMING.

WE'RE SUPPORTING THIS EVENT IN FRONT OF THE CHICAGO RIVER.

BUT REALLY WHAT HAPPENED IS IN THE 18 50'S IN THE 18 60'S CHICAGO RACE ITSELF UP OUT OF THE SWAMP THAT WE BUILT IT IN AND DIRECTED OUR SEWERS TO THE RIVER.

>> AND THEN ULTIMATELY THE WATER WAS SO POLLUTED.

LAKE, MICHIGAN WAS POLLUTED FROM IT AND WE REVERSE THE RIVER.

SO IT FLOWS BACKWARDS TOWARDS THE GULF OF MEXICO.

HOW'S IT DOING TODAY?

IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY GREAT THAT AMBIENT WATER QUALITY ON YOUR AVERAGE DAY IS GOING UP FOR SWIMMING AND THAT IS MEASURED BY THE METROPOLITAN WATER RECLAMATION DISTRICT.

WHEN THEY MEASURE MEASURE WITH EXCUSE ME WHEN THEY MENTION HAZARDS, IT'S TRUE.

THERE'S BOAT TRAFFIC IN THEIR SEGMENTS TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT.

AND, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT HOW YOU GET IN THE WATER AND HOW YOU GET OUT.

BUT REALLY, IF YOU IF YOU PLAN FOR SWIMMING AND YOU DO THE KIND OF THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING FOR THE CHICAGO RIVER SWIM, THE RIVER IS FINE.

AND THAT'S WHY THIS IS SUCH A GREAT DEMONSTRATION OF HOW YOU CAN CHANGE PEOPLE'S CULTURAL REMEMBRANCE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE RIVER AND PLAN TO GET PEOPLE IN THE WATER SAFELY IN THE FUTURE.

THERE'S THE RIVER REVERSAL, OBVIOUSLY, WHICH WAS, YOU KNOW, AN ENGINEERING FEAT, OF COURSE.

BUT WHAT WHAT WHAT OTHER FACTORS, WHAT OTHER STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO TO IMPROVE THE WATER QUALITY.

SO IN THE LAST LITERALLY, 40 YEARS SINCE FRIEND OF FRIEND OF THE CHICAGO RIVER IS FOUNDED, WE'VE PEOPLE USED TALKING ABOUT TUNNEL, WHICH IS REALLY THE TUNNEL RESERVOIR PLAN.

SO THAT HAS GONE ONLINE.

AND WHAT THAT DOES IS THERE'S BIG GIANT RESERVOIRS AND 110 MILES OF TUNNEL THAT STORE RAIN AND SEWAGE AND EVERYTHING TO TREAT IT BEFORE IT GETS RELEASED INTO THE RIVER SYSTEM SINCE IT WAS STARTED IN THE 1970'S, IT IS NEARLY COMPLETE THURS 11 BILLION GALLONS OF STORAGE.

SO WHEN IT RAINS, MOST OF THE SEWAGE WILL ALL OF THE SEWAGE AND INDUSTRIAL RATE RIGHT ENDS UP ALL THERE.

AND WHAT HAPPENS IS IT GETS TREATED SLOWLY DISCHARGE AND ONLY 10 OR 11.

A DISCHARGE.

THE RIVER HAVE DISCHARGED IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

SO WE KNOW THAT THAT IS REALLY MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE.

85% OF ALL SUIT TO ENDED UP IN THE RIVER IS NOW OUT.

THEN ON TOP OF IT, SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISINFECTION.

SO THERE'S JUST THE DISCHARGE FROM THE SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS.

I'M ACTUALLY IS LIKE A SWIMMING POOL.

THEY'RE CLEANING THE WATER AND RELEASING A CLEAN.

SO 70% OF THE WATER IN THE RIVER SYSTEM COMES FROM THE SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT AND IT'S COMING OUT OKAY.

SINCE MUCH CLEANER THAN I THANK YOU FOR THAT SUDDEN, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF CONFUSION OVER THE EVENT YOU HAVE PERMIT FOR THE EVENT THROUGH THE COAST GUARD, AS YOU MENTIONED, BECAUSE THE RIVER IS A FEDERAL WATER >> BUT THE EVENT WAS ANNOUNCED BEFORE CITY APPROVAL AND 34TH WARD ALDERMAN BILL CONWAY WRITES ON SOCIAL MEDIA, QUOTE, WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER TO ENSURE THE RIVER IS SAFE FOR THIS EVENT.

IN RESPONSE TO AN ABC 7 ARTICLE STATING THE EVENT WAS PROMOTED WITHOUT CITY APPROVAL.

HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO HIS CONCERNS?

HE'S RIGHT.

WE NEED TO COMMUNICATE BETTER.

>> AND IT'S THE IT'S THE COAST GUARD THAT HAS KIND OF TAKEN THE LABORING OR TO KIND OF MANAGE THAT COMMUNICATION.

THEY COURSE THEY WORK WITH CITY DEPARTMENTS ALL THE TIME AND AND OFFERED TO DO THAT COORDINATION AND COMMUNICATION REALLY WITH EVERYBODY'S FOCUS ON HAVING A CLEAN SAFE EVENT.

YOU KNOW, EARLY ON A SUNDAY MORNING.

>> AND WHAT'S BEEN THE RESPONSE SINCE THIS WAS ANNOUNCED AND WE KNOW IS CAN WE WE WE ASKED FOR AN APPROVAL FOR 500 SWIMMERS WHO MOST OF WHOM ARE TRIATHLETES.

AND SO REALLY OUTSTANDING ATHLETE.

WE'VE ASKED PEOPLE TO TO FILL 500 SLOTS IN 2 WEEKS.

WE'VE HAD 1100 APPLICATIONS AND AND REALLY THANKFULLY, 3RD OF THEM ARE FROM AWAY FROM CHICAGO ALL TOGETHER THE THE 56 OF 77 NEIGHBORHOODS ARE REPRESENTED IN THOSE APPLICATIONS.

ANOTHER 35 STATES ARE REPRESENTED, INCLUDING HAWAII, SO FAR AWAY AND 12 COUNTRIES, INCLUDING AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND.

SO THIS IS CAUSED A PRETTY BIG STAR.

AND WE'RE VERY PLEASE GOING MAKE A SPLASH.

WHAT I DID ALL I LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING MORE ABOUT THIS WE GET CLOSER TO SEPTEMBER 22ND.

DOUG MCCONNELL MARKET FOR WE THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US.