Bubbly Creek is the nickname given to the South Fork of the South Branch of the
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons for ...
. It runs entirely within the city of
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, U.S. It marks the boundary between the
Bridgeport
Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...
and
McKinley Park community areas of the city. The creek derives its name from the gases bubbling out of the riverbed from the decomposition of
blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the cir ...
and
entrails
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...
dumped into the river in the early 20th century by the local meatpacking businesses surrounding the
Union Stock Yards
The Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., or The Yards, was the meatpacking district in Chicago for more than a century, starting in 1865. The district was operated by a group of railroad companies that acquired marshland and turned it into a central ...
directly south of the creek's endpoint at
Pershing Road. It was brought to notoriety by
Upton Sinclair
Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American writer, muckraker, political activist and the 1934 Democratic Party nominee for governor of California who wrote nearly 100 books and other works in sever ...
in his
exposé
Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to:
News sources
* Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism
* '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website
Film and TV Film
* ''Exposé'' (film), a 1976 thriller film
* ''Exposed'' (1932 ...
on the American
meat packing industry
The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is generally no ...
titled ''
The Jungle
''The Jungle'' is a 1906 novel by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair. Sinclair's primary purpose in describing the meat industry and its working conditions was to advance socialism in the United States. However, most readers we ...
''.
Bubbly Creek originates near 38th Street, at the Racine Avenue Pump Station of the
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD), originally known as the Sanitary District of Chicago, is a special-purpose district chartered to operate in Cook County, Illinois since 1889. Although its name may imply other ...
. It flows in a generally northward direction for approximately , and joins with the South Branch of the Chicago River.
History
![Bubblycreek](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Bubblycreek.jpg)
The area surrounding Bubbly Creek was originally a
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...
; during the 19th century, channels were
dredge
Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...
d to increase the rate of flow into the
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons for ...
and dry out the area to increase the amount of habitable land in the fast-growing city. The South Fork became an
open sewer
A combined sewer is a type of gravity sewer with a system of pipes, tunnels, pump stations etc. to transport sewage and urban runoff together to a sewage treatment plant or disposal site. This means that during rain events, the sewage gets dilute ...
for the local
stockyards, especially the
Union Stock Yards
The Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., or The Yards, was the meatpacking district in Chicago for more than a century, starting in 1865. The district was operated by a group of railroad companies that acquired marshland and turned it into a central ...
. Meatpackers dumped waste, such as blood and
entrails
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...
, into the nearest river.
[Grossman, James R., Ann Durkin Keating and Janice L. Ruff (eds.), ''Encyclopedia of Chicago'', "Meatpacking", pp. 515-7, University of Chicago Press, 2004, ] The creek received so much blood and
offal
Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the organs of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but usually excludes muscle. Offal may also refe ...
that it began to bubble
methane
Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Ea ...
and
hydrogen sulfide gas from the products of
decomposition
Decomposition or rot is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts. The process is a part of the nutrient cycle and is e ...
.
In 1906, author Upton Sinclair wrote ''The Jungle'', an unflattering portrait of America's
meat packing industry
The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is generally no ...
. In it, he reported on the state of Bubbly Creek, writing that:
Present situation
Two heavily
polluted
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...
streams that joined to create the South Fork were later filled in, but their courses can still be seen today in the configuration of streets and railroad tracks in the area.
The area has been increasingly occupied by residential development such as Bridgeport Village; a program to
oxygenate
Oxygenated chemical compounds contain oxygen as a part of their chemical structure. The term usually refers to oxygenated chemical compounds added to fuels. Oxygenates are usually employed as gasoline additives to reduce carbon monoxide and soot ...
the creek by continuously injecting compressed air into the water has met with limited success, although the creek's odor has been much reduced.
Some fish and vegetation have returned in recent decades.
[Gallun, Alby]
Flushing out Bubbly Creek.
''Chicago Business.'' July 25, 2004.
Areas near the creek have been designated for recreational uses including parks, and developers and the city agreed on a setback to allow for remediation.
However, during heavy rains, millions of gallons of wastewater continue to be dumped into the stagnant creek by the
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD), originally known as the Sanitary District of Chicago, is a special-purpose district chartered to operate in Cook County, Illinois since 1889. Although its name may imply other ...
.
As of 2007, the City of Chicago and the
Army Corps of Engineers were considering a $2.65 million
feasibility study
A feasibility study is an assessment of the practicality of a project or system. A feasibility study aims to objectively and rationally uncover the strengths and weaknesses of an existing business or proposed venture, opportunities and threats pr ...
to look at restoration options, which would have implications for the remainder of the Chicago River system due to the unusual challenges of Bubbly Creek. The creek's waters are largely stagnant, having little gravitational flow; the study investigated several possibilities, including a meandering stream amid a wetland, to restore an oxygenated system.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had proposed restoring about 44 acres of water and surrounding land in part by covering the creek bottom with 6 inches of sand and 6 inches of rocks. The actual renovation project was expected to cost $15.4 million. In 2015, the project was stalled, due to contamination discovered in the creek's sediments.
A private society has opened the
Chicago Maritime Museum The Chicago Maritime Museum is a maritime society and museum dedicated to the study and memorialization of Chicago's maritime traditions. The museum's webpage asserts that Lake Michigan and the Chicago River were key factors in Chicago's growth tow ...
, a museum and memorialization of Chicago's river and maritime heritage, on 35th Street adjacent to Bubbly Creek.
References
External links
Archived page for the Bubbly Creek Proposed Restoration
{{Authority control
Bridgeport, Chicago
History of Chicago
Geography of Chicago
Lower West Side, Chicago
McKinley Park, Chicago
Rivers of Illinois
Rivers of Cook County, Illinois