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From The Ohio River To The Great Lakes: Exploring The Health of Waterways

When I first moved to Chicago for college, I quickly realized the city’s love for outdoor recreation. Water plays a key part in how many Chicagoans spend their free time, from the Chicago Riverwalk to the beaches of Lake Michigan. However, I struggled to understand why my friends would want to walk the shoreline – much less swim in an unchlorinated body of water. I knew that Chicago’s drinking water comes from Lake Michigan and that Chicago has ‘good water,’ which means it is generally clean or safe, so why did this free body of water intimidate me so much? That is when I realized that the river I grew up by – its bank covered in broken glass, bottle caps, and cigarette butts – is home to one of America’s most polluted waterways – and is the only endangered river in Illinois: the Ohio River.

The point of the endangered rivers list is to bring attention to an ecosystem and community that needs it. Rivers make their way onto the endangered list for many reasons, and throughout the years, this list of endangered rivers has been able to mobilize folks to action to improve or protect their local rivers. This list has sometimes been used to secure funds to remove outdated dams.

The Ohio River spans the borders of six states, and the “Ohio River Basin” is home to over thirty million people, making it a pretty big community! It is also a source of drinking water for over five million people! Additionally, the Ohio River plays an important role in the economy of the communities its water runs through, with over twenty locks and dams and thirty-eight power-generating facilities. The Ohio River is also home to over 150 animal species! However, a vast amount of pollution is present in the Ohio River, which puts this all at risk. This is ultimately due to factors like agricultural runoff or legacy chemicals, which have been banned or discontinued for use in the U.S. but often continue to linger in soil and water.

So, now we know a little more about what an endangered waterway is, but what is a healthy waterway? A healthy waterway is “clear and unpolluted water supporting a thriving ecosystem.” A healthy river can support various wildlife and the communities along its banks. Testing water quality is one way to determine if a river is healthy. Scientists look at certain aspects to test water quality, such as pH, water temperature, dissolved oxygen levels, or the amount of oxygen in the water. Notably, higher temperatures and lower dissolved oxygen levels typically decrease biodiversity*. The more diverse an ecosystem is, the more stable it will be. Biodiversity is a sign of a balanced, healthy ecosystem and implies that the conditions in a body of water aren’t too harsh in any way

The current state of the Ohio River poses a threat to the diverse species that live there. While the Ohio River has been on the Endangered Rivers list since 1992, many wonder what a path to recovery could look like for this body of water. Experts note that a key distinction between the Great Lake I see families and friends play in, and the river I grew up around is that the Ohio River is not a federally protected waterway. While the Great Lakes have a dedicated federal initiative, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, there is no equivalent for the Ohio River. Last December, legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives to invest in the Ohio River in hopes of restoring this river to its former glory. While this bill did not pass, it brings up the importance of cleaning up the river to strengthen the communities that rely on it for drinking water, power, and commerce.

*Biodiversity – “Biological diversity in an environment as indicated by number of different species of plants and animals.”

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