Friends of the Chicago River

07/31/2026

Overflow Action Alert

Heavy rain is expected in the Chicago area today. Reduce your use of water during and after the storm to help prevent flooding and protect water quality:

• Delay showers and baths
• Flush less frequently
• Wait to run the dishwasher or washing machine

Flooding and sewer backups can happen for a variety of reasons. To help prevent flooding inside or around your home, there are actions you and your family can take before and during rainfall.

Learn how to prepare for stormwater at this link: https://mwrd.org/community-action/you-can-help-prevent-flooding-and-protect-water-quality.

Learn more about Combined Sewer Overflow prevention here: https://mwrd.org/community-action/overflow-action

Sign up to receive Overflow Action Alerts via text
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/YhH2xGP/MWRDSignup

Learn what you should do during flooding:
https://mwrd.org/community-action/what-you-should-do-during-flooding

For more information and explanations about how the MWRD’s infrastructure and waterway system operate, visit these links:

Learn about the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP)
https://mwrd.org/what-we-do/tunnel-and-reservoir-plan-tarp

Understand how the Chicago Area Waterway System works
https://mwrd.org/what-we-do/reducing-flooding/chicago-area-waterway-system-caws

Learn about the types of sewer systems in Cook County
https://mwrd.org/community-action/understanding-your-sewer

Request a presentation for your community
https://mwrd.org/education/speakers-and-outreach

Tour our facilities
https://mwrd.org/education/tours

Municipal partners can explore stormwater partnership opportunities
https://mwrd.org/stormwater/partnerships

The top of the MWRD’s website displays a notification if an Overflow Action Alert is active. Visit mwrd.org.

Overflow Action Alerts are a joint initiative of the MWRD and Friends of the Chicago River.

07/21/2026

Our Happy House Speaker Series at the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum continues this Thursday, July 23.

Join us for Preserving and Reactivating Chicago's Bridgehouse for Community
featuring Ward Miller, Executive Director of Preservation Chicago and Mejay Gula, founder of Tender House Project.

Chicago's historic bridges and their tender houses are among the city's most recognizable civic landmarks, standing as enduring symbols of engineering innovation and the river that shaped Chicago's growth. Yet many of our bridgehouses remain vacant and underutilized, disconnected from the communities that surround them.

Be part of the conversation about preserving and reimagining these remarkable bridge operator buildings for future generations. It’s hosted by the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum, a prime example of how these buildings can be repurposed for the public good.

This event is free and open to the public, and donations to Friends of the Chicago River are encouraged to support the Bridgehouse Museum's programming.

07/15/2026

20 years. One iconic Chicago experience.

Celebrate our Bridgehouse Museum's 20th anniversary on Saturday, July 25!

Step inside a working bridge and discover the story of the Chicago-Calumet River system like never before. The McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum is celebrating its 20th anniversary, marking two decades of bringing history, engineering, and the river’s incredible transformation to life.

From the massive gears that lift the DuSable Bridge to the views above Michigan Avenue and the Riverwalk, this is Chicago from the inside.

Join us as we celebrate 20 years of education, action, and advocacy.

For more info, see link in bio.

06/21/2026

It's an Overflow Action Day! Reduce your water use to help prevent flooding and sewer overflows.

Overflow Action Alert

Heavy rain is expected in the Chicago area today. Reduce your use of water during and after the storm to help prevent flooding and protect water quality:

• Delay showers and baths
• Flush less frequently
• Wait to run the dishwasher or washing machine

Flooding and sewer backups can happen for a variety of reasons. To help prevent flooding inside or around your home, there are actions you and your family can take before and during rainfall.

Learn how to prepare for stormwater at this link: https://mwrd.org/community-action/you-can-help-prevent-flooding-and-protect-water-quality.

Learn more about Combined Sewer Overflow prevention here: https://mwrd.org/community-action/overflow-action

Sign up to receive Overflow Action Alerts via text
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/YhH2xGP/MWRDSignup

Learn what you should do during flooding:
https://mwrd.org/community-action/what-you-should-do-during-flooding

For more information and explanations about how the MWRD’s infrastructure and waterway system operate, visit these links:

Learn about the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP)
https://mwrd.org/what-we-do/tunnel-and-reservoir-plan-tarp

Understand how the Chicago Area Waterway System works
https://mwrd.org/what-we-do/reducing-flooding/chicago-area-waterway-system-caws

Learn about the types of sewer systems in Cook County
https://mwrd.org/community-action/understanding-your-sewer

Request a presentation for your community
https://mwrd.org/education/speakers-and-outreach

Tour our facilities
https://mwrd.org/education/tours

Municipal partners can explore stormwater partnership opportunities
https://mwrd.org/stormwater/partnerships

The top of the MWRD’s website displays a notification if an Overflow Action Alert is active. Visit mwrd.org.

Overflow Action Alerts are a joint initiative of the MWRD and Friends of the Chicago River

06/18/2026

Saturday, we celebrate Juneteenth by exploring a beginner-friendly part of the African American Heritage Water Trail. Bring the family! This is a free event sponsored by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. Register at: https://www.chicagoriver.org/events/african-american-heritage-water-trail-paddle

06/17/2026

Severe storms are on the way! Help avoid flooding, basement backups, and sewer overflows into the river by curbing water usage today. With a big storm system moving through the Chicago region, our combined sewer system may be strained by large volumes of rainwater entering the system and lead to combined sewer overflows into the rivers. During heavy rainfall, reducing household water use can help lessen pressure on sewer infrastructure and reduce the likelihood of combined sewer overflows into local waterways. Sign up for Overflow Action Alerts: https://tinyurl.com/OverflowActionDays2026

Simple actions today can make a difference:

🚿 Take shorter showers or delay non-essential water use.
🧺 Wait to run laundry or dishwashers until the storm passes.
🚰 Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth and fix leaks when possible.

06/16/2026

It's nesting season!! Check out this Red-bellied Woodpecker baby in its nest hollowed out in a dead tree!

River-edge green spaces like Ronan Park on the North Branch of the Chicago River provide important habitat for a huge diversity of wildlife like this 🌳🐦💧

Photo by Regina Lyons

06/15/2026

There’s still time to shape Chicago’s Green Infrastructure Strategy! 🌿 Comments are open through July 10. Green stormwater infrastructure uses nature-based solutions like rain gardens, street trees, parks, and permeable pavement to absorb stormwater before it reaches our sewers and waterways. We support a strong strategy that 1. Prioritizes reducing flooding and combined sewer overflows, 2. Invests in communities most impacted by flooding and poor water quality, and 3. Includes measurable goals, timelines, and accountability for implementation. 🌳 Click the link for suggested input language and the link to submit comments: https://tinyurl.com/GSIComment

06/11/2026

It's an Overflow Action Day!

Overflow Action Alert

Heavy rain is expected in the Chicago area today. Reduce your use of water during and after the storm to help prevent flooding and protect water quality:

• Delay showers and baths
• Flush less frequently
• Wait to run the dishwasher or washing machine

Flooding and sewer backups can happen for a variety of reasons. To help prevent flooding inside or around your home, there are actions you and your family can take before and during rainfall.

Learn how to prepare for stormwater at this link: https://mwrd.org/community-action/you-can-help-prevent-flooding-and-protect-water-quality.

Learn more about Combined Sewer Overflow prevention here: https://mwrd.org/community-action/overflow-action

Sign up to receive Overflow Action Alerts via text
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/YhH2xGP/MWRDSignup

Learn what you should do during flooding:
https://mwrd.org/community-action/what-you-should-do-during-flooding

For more information and explanations about how the MWRD’s infrastructure and waterway system operate, visit these links:

Learn about the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP)
https://mwrd.org/what-we-do/tunnel-and-reservoir-plan-tarp

Understand how the Chicago Area Waterway System works
https://mwrd.org/what-we-do/reducing-flooding/chicago-area-waterway-system-caws

Learn about the types of sewer systems in Cook County
https://mwrd.org/community-action/understanding-your-sewer

Request a presentation for your community
https://mwrd.org/education/speakers-and-outreach

Tour our facilities
https://mwrd.org/education/tours

Municipal partners can explore stormwater partnership opportunities
https://mwrd.org/stormwater/partnerships

The top of the MWRD’s website displays a notification if an Overflow Action Alert is active. Visit mwrd.org.

Overflow Action Alerts are a joint initiative of the MWRD and Friends of the Chicago River