The Port of Chicago consists of several major port facilities within the city of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

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 ...

, operated by the Illinois International Port District (formerly known as the Chicago Regional Port District). It is a multimodal facility featuring Senator Dan Dougherty Harbor (Lake Calumet), the Iroquois Landing Lakefront Terminus, and Harborside International Golf Center. The central element of the Port District, Calumet Harbor, is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The modern Port of Chicago links inland canal and river systems in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

to the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

, giving the global shipping market access to the St. Lawrence Seaway and linking the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

to the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

by way of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

History

In 1951, the Illinois General Assembly authorized the creation of port districts in Illinois with the Chicago Regional Port District, to oversee harbor and port development, being the first such port district created. The State of

and

City of Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

had relinquished all rights and interest in the bed of Lake Calumet to the Port District, so as to enable the District to develop Calumet Harbor. The district was given the power to acquire any navigable waters of the state which were within the District area. The constitutionality of the district was challenged in ''People v. Chicago Regional Port District''. The plaintiffs, later the appellants, challenged the district on the grounds that the sale or lease of navigable waters by the State was prohibited and the State did not have the ability to establish special corporations. In 1954, the Illinois Supreme Court rejected the appellants to be constitutional. In 1985, the Illinois International Port District was created by the Illinois International Port District Act as a political subdivision to run the Port of Chicago.

C.T.C. No. 1

A 620-foot-long cargo hauler brought to the south Chicago ports in 1982. With a capacity of 16,300 tons, this ship was used for storage and transfer of cement until its termination in 2009. The ship hasn't moved since its termination and then purchase by the Grand River Navigation Co., Traverse City, MI.

Port Commerce & Foreign Trade Zone No. 22

Illinois International Port District is responsible for Foreign Trade Zone No. 22. This zone spans 8 counties: Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kankakee, Kendall,

Lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

, and Will Counties as well as portions of McHenry and Kane Counties. Around the Calumet zone the district maintains 20 acres of land for future developments as well as 400,000 square feet of warehouse space. At the mouth of the Calumet River is the Iroquois Landing Lakefront Terminus, this Area is utilized as Shipping container processing and storage space. The terminal currently handles of paved concrete grounds as well as 3000 feet of boat and barge berths. The Iroquois Terminus is serviced with direct trucking and rail access supported by two transit sheds spanning 100,000 square feet including a 135 railcar staging area. About 6 miles along the Calumet River it feeds into Lake Calumet which contains two grain elevators maintained by the port authority and is reported to have a combined capacity of 14 million bushels, as well as liquid bulk storage of 800,000 barrels.

Governance

The Illinois International Port District Act creates a nine member board. Four members are appointed by the

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...

with the

advice and consent Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts. It describes either of two situations: where a weak executive branch of a government enacts something prev ...

of the Illinois Senate and five members are appointed by the Mayor of Chicago with the advice and consent of the Chicago City Council. The Illinois International Port District is the only port district in Illinois that may not levy taxes. By statute, the Executive Director of the IIPD is a member of the Task Force on the Conservation and Quality of the Great Lakes.

Reform efforts and proposals

In 2008, the Chicago Civic Federation proposed the dissolution of the Illinois International Port District. Under their plan, port operations and related lands would transfer to the

City of Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

; transfer of open land to the

Forest Preserve District of Cook County The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is a governmental commission in Cook County, Illinois, that owns and manages a network of open spaces, containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes, that are mostly set aside as natural areas ...

; and transfer Harborside International Golf Center to the control of the

Chicago Park District The Chicago Park District is one of the oldest and the largest park districts in the United States. As of 2016, there are over 600 parks included in the Chicago Park District as well as 27 beaches, several boat harbors, two botanic conservatorie ...

. In July 2013,

Chicago Mayor The mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and ...

Rahm Emanuel Rahm Israel Emanuel (; born November 29, 1959) is an American politician and diplomat who is the current United States Ambassador to Japan. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served two terms as the 55th Mayor of Chicago from 2011 ...

and

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn proposed a privatized revitalization of the Port Facilities and District area. Attempting to strike a deal with Private family-owned International Investment and Management company Broe Group. Negotiation for this revitalization ended on the negotiation table without definitive statement. During the 100th Illinois General Assembly, Elaine Nekritz filed House Bill 2502 which, if signed into law, would have replaced the district’s current governing board with the Chicago City Council. The bill was referred to the Rules Committee and died at the end of the legislative session. As of 2019, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is studying the District, Its facilities, and the surrounding area to provide a economic solution for the Port to operate out of the negative. Port of Chicago 2020-08-25

Facilities

*Iroquois Landing Lakefront Terminal: ** of warehouses and facilities. **780,000+ square meters (8.39 million square feet) of storage. *Lake Calumet terminal: **Transit sheds: 29,000 square meters (315,000 square feet). **900+ linear meters (3000 linear feet) of ship and barge berthing. **Approximately 1,600 acres. **Grain storage: 493,000 metric tons (14 million bushels) **Bulk liquid storage: 127 million liters (800,000 barrels)

References

{{Authority control Ports and harbors of Illinois River ports of the United States Foreign trade zones of the United States Transportation in Chicago