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Cook County endorses regional effort to map and clean contaminated sediments in local waterways
Summary
The board unanimously concurred with the environment committee to approve a resolution urging action to identify and remediate contaminated sediments in the Chicago Area Waterway System and Calumet channels to protect Lake Michigan and subsistence fishers.
The Cook County Board voted to approve a resolution urging regional collaboration to map and eventually remediate contaminated sediments in the Chicago Area Waterway System, including the Calumet River and Cal‑Sag Channel.
Commissioner Cam Davis, who helped craft a similar measure at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, told commissioners the resolution mirrors actions the MWRD and City of Chicago have already taken and stressed the public‑health importance: polluted sediments recycle pollutants through the food chain and threaten subsistence fishers who rely on local waterways for food. “What we do here in our Chicago area is really important,” he said while walking commissioners through a map included in board packets.
Commissioner Bridal and others praised the cooperative approach and noted the resolution passed out of the Environment and Sustainability Committee with their recommendation. The board took a voice vote and approved the measure; commissioners thanked South Suburban College representatives for attending and describing CHARM recycling and household hazardous‑waste efforts earlier in the meeting.
Next steps: the resolution will be entered in the meeting record and transmitted to relevant agencies for intergovernmental coordination on mapping and cleanup planning.
