Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal

E73293

The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal is a man-made waterway in Illinois that reverses the flow of the Chicago River, diverts wastewater away from Lake Michigan, and serves as a key navigation link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (2)

Surface form Occurrences
Illinois Waterway 1
Sanitary and Ship Canal 1

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf canal
man-made waterway
connectsTo Calumet-Sag Channel (via Illinois Waterway system)
Illinois Waterway system
surface form: Illinois and Michigan Canal (historically via system)
connectsWaterbody Chicago River
Des Plaines River
connectsWaterSystem Great Lakes
Mississippi River basin
surface form: Mississippi River system
constructionStartDate 1892
country United States of America
surface form: United States
designedToCarry commercial navigation
wastewater
endPoint Lockport, Illinois area
surface form: Lockport, Illinois
engineeredFlowDirection away from Lake Michigan
environmentalConcern pathway for invasive aquatic species between Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins
hasEngineeringFeature controlling works at Chicago River
reversed river gradient
hasFunction flood control
navigation
wastewater conveyance
hasLegalSignificance regulated by Supreme Court decrees on Lake Michigan diversion
subject of interstate water diversion disputes
hasLock Lockport Lock and Dam
historicalImpact reduced direct sewage discharge into Lake Michigan
reversed the natural drainage of the Chicago River basin
length approximately 28 miles
locatedIn Cook County, Illinois
Illinois
Will County, Illinois NERFINISHED
locatedInMetropolitanArea Chicago metropolitan area
maintainedBy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
nearCity Chicago, Illinois, United States
surface form: Chicago, Illinois
openingDate 1900
operator Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
partOf Illinois Waterway system
surface form: Illinois Waterway

Inland waterway system of the United States
protectsWaterSource Lake Michigan NERFINISHED
purpose diversion of wastewater away from Lake Michigan
navigation link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system
reversal of the flow of the Chicago River
regionServed Chicago metropolitan area
startPoint Chicago River
waterwayClass artificial channel
waterwayStatus navigable waterway
waterwayType sanitary canal
ship canal

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Cal-Sag Channel connectedCanal Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
Cal-Sag Channel connectsTo Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
Calumet River connectsTo Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
Calumet River connectsTo Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
this entity surface form: Illinois Waterway
Chicago River hasEngineeringProject Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
Chicago River hasPart Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
this entity surface form: Sanitary and Ship Canal
Illinois Waterway system hasPart Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal