How cities like Portland and Chicago are breathing new life into their urban rivers

For decades, the Willamette River that runs through Portland, Oregon, was a look-but-don’t-touch situation.

“When we first moved here, there was no way in hell you’d get in the water,” resident Matthew Mangus said.

The river was contaminated by raw sewage and had been closed for swimming since 1924, but now things are very different. Willie Levenson, founder of the Human Access Project, helped turn the Willamette into a vibrant recreational space that officially became swimmable again in 2012. 

“Step number one — find a way to clean up the river. Step number two — there’s the cultural change around getting people to see there’s value in this river,” Levenson said.

A $1.4 billion pipe project that kept sewage from spilling into the river took care of the first step. Then came step two — an annual inner tube parade called “The Big Float” brought thousands to the water, making the river party central.

“I talk to people who tell me, ‘I feel differently about our city now.’ They feel more connected to the city,” Levenson said.

That’s exactly what Nick Wesley is hoping to achieve in Chicago. His non-profit, Urban Rivers, is leading the charge to transform the Chicago River. He believes that within 10 years, it’ll be a lot more commonplace to see people swimming in the river.

“I think a lot of people see their waterways as a lot of unrealized potential,” Wesley said.

While the idea of an urban river renaissance is providing hope for cities like Chicago and Portland, there’s still plenty of work to be done. Of the 3.5 million miles of rivers in the U.S., 50% are too polluted for fishing, boating or swimming, according to American Rivers, a group focused on protecting and restoring rivers.

Efforts to revitalize the rivers began with the 1972 Clean Water Act and now include river renaissance projects in Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta and New York among other cities, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

There’s still more that can be done, including a cultural shift in how people perceive urban rivers.

“The most powerful thing is a community of people on a river that love that river,” said American Rivers spokesperson Amy Souers Kober.

Chicago had hoped to host its first swim in the Chicago River last month. When organizers hit roadblocks getting the proper permits fast enough, they moved it to Lake Michigan. But organizers and Levenson, who flew in from Portland, are determined to swim in the river next year.

“Once the Chicago River becomes a part of culture, Chicago has a hidden level of joy that it’s going to discover,” Levenson said.

It’s high praise from a man who’s already helped his own city discover theirs.