Thank you for Tribune staff reporter Michael Hawthorne’s article on the Chicago River.
The quality of the river, for wildlife and for recreation, is improving.
With the backing of the mayor and the interest and efforts of many, many citizens in the greater Chicago area, we can expect it to continue to improve.
How revealing that John Farnan, the public face of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, regards our river as a “sewage channel” and feels the need to disparage people in canoes.
His comments only serve to reinforce the image of the district as a bloated, patronage-laden government oddity headed by officials who are out of touch with public sentiment and the core mission of the agency.
We need to stand up for the river.
Farnan and his colleagues need to stand with us.
