# Chicago River Swim Announcement Presser 3.12.26

- Date: March 12, 2026
- Type: Video
- Length: 25:12
- Topic: Press conferences
- Video: [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLkimTz4XsM)
- Transcript: Machine transcription, 3,113 words ([text](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/youtube/PLkimTz4XsM.txt))
- Mayor: [Brandon Johnson](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor)

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=0) Announcement of the swim
- [5:15](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=315) Vision and planning
- [11:46](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=706) River restoration impact
- [15:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=912) Water quality initiatives
- [18:15](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=1095) Youth swimming programs
- [20:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=1255) Closing and media Q&A

## Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Chicago River Swim Announcement Presser.

## Transcript

[2:17](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=137) Good morning. Hey, it's up. All right, good morning, everyone. Thank you all for being here today. I do want to thank Alderman Brian Hopkins for joining us. Thank you. And we have a president of the Water Metropolitan Water District. I think I got that right, Carrie Still. But it is really great to see you all today on this exciting day. I am proud to announce that the City of Chicago will host the second annual Chicago River Swim.

[2:56](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=176) The swim will take place on Sunday, September 20, 2026, and it will expand into a week of programming celebrating, of course, the Chicago River. Importantly, the event will raise funds for ALS research at Northwestern University, as well as swimming education and water safety programming for youth at the Chicago Park District. This moment symbolizes the incredible progress that Chicago has made in restoring the health of the Chicago River.

[3:28](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=208) Just a generation ago, this type of event was unimaginable. Last year's inaugural swim was the first open water swim organized in the Chicago River in nearly a century. Thanks to decades of investments from the city and advocacy and stewardship from Chicagoans, the river has been transformed from an industrial waterway into a vibrant civic asset. Today, our river is a place for gathering, recreation, tourism, and appreciating the beauty of our city.

[4:02](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=242) On September 20th, it will put Chicagoans in a unique position, but it will capture the spirit of enthusiasm and it will be on full display. But it will also demonstrate the progress our city has made in restoring and protecting our environment. My administration is committed to environmental justice. And with the leadership of Commissioner Angela Tovar, the Department of Environment that we relaunched, we are building an inclusive green economy along with resilient, healthy neighborhoods.

[4:36](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=276) The city is proud to serve as a presenting partner of the SWIM and commemorate our ongoing work to invest in and protect our city's environment. This event is made possible because of civic leadership, environmental stewardship, and community vision that have all come together. I do finally want to thank the Chicago Park District CEO, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa. of the Chicago River Executive Director, Margaret Frisbee, and last but certainly not least, the founder of the Chicago River Swim and co-founder of A Long Swim, Mr. Doug Mercado.

[5:14](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=314) Well, since we're talking about Doug, we might as well just lift up the fact that for the last 13 years he's been working towards this vision, allowing Chicagoans to swim in a cleaner, healthier river. It's truly been inspiring, working alongside of him. Last year's inaugural swim was just an incredible testament to his resilience. So without further ado, please welcome the founder of the Chicago River Swim, Mr. Doug McConnell.

[5:49](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=349) I'll read more of the mayor's notes here in a second. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This is quite an honor today, and we're thrilled to be here. We simply wouldn't be here without the support from so many people, and some of whom I'll have a chance to name. As Mayor Johnson just said, September 20th, a Sunday, we're going to have 750 swimmers right behind me to really celebrate what this has become.

[6:19](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=379) You know, last year was really an historic moment for the city of Chicago. For the first time in 98 years, there were hundreds of swimmers in the water, and I am not usually a tears-in-your-eyes kind of guy, but that day I had tears in my eyes to watch people enjoy themselves and really enjoy this beautiful, beautiful city. As Mayor Johnson said, it was 13 years of planning and collaboration

[6:50](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=410) and partnership and perseverance, perhaps, but we finally made it to come together. And it simply could not have been done without the A-Long Swim team, of which I am honored to be a member, where Scott and Deborah and Beth is here, Colin, Kate, I am the luckiest guy in the world. This journey has also been very personal for me.

[7:23](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=443) This event is hosted by A-Long Swim, a non-profit that I co-founded with one of my sisters several years ago, and it was really on the heels of losing our father to ALS. And it was shortly after he passed away then that she was diagnosed, and we were in the same 12-year shipwreck that he had gone through. We wanted to turn that grief into action. We had both been swimmers.

[7:53](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=473) In fact, I started as a competitive swimmer as a 6-year-old, tagging along with her, and it really has made a big difference. We have beneficiaries for this swim. The Ozenler Lab at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine has been the primary target. Hyundai Ozenler was not feeling well today, so couldn't make it. But one of the things that we did was start a fellowship in the name of my sister,

[8:23](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=503) and the Ellen Fellow, Mukesh Gautam, is with us here today. Our hope is to turn this Chicago River Swim event into being able to raise tens of millions of dollars for Mukesh, for Hyundai, to really see if we can knock out this disease. Swimming is an interesting connection with ALS, but I end up taking it for granted.

[8:54](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=534) Again, I started swimming as a little boy and so forth, and it wasn't really until I was an adult that I realized that not everybody has that opportunity. So to be able to partner with the USA Swimming Foundation, Leland is here, and the Chicago Park District, our goal is to make sure that every Chicago child has an opportunity to learn to swim. It's a life-saving skill. I think it's a human right. And to be able to work with underserved neighborhoods to be able to get those kids through these lessons

[9:31](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=571) is just a critically important step. The partnership with the USA Swimming Foundation is also key because it introduces us to Olympians, members of the national team, and so forth. In the meantime, look around you. The Chicago Riverwalk, I mean, it is as though the city built this stadium just for us. And, you know, to be able to have this kind of a venue... and to be able to celebrate the environmental progress that Mayor Johnson was talking about.

[10:06](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=606) You know, this is a victory lap for so many people. As Mayor Johnson said, we plan the swim for September 20th. We are accepting applications from swimmers starting on March 31st. We're running through those applications and the registrants will be on April 27th. As we get closer, there are so many people to thank. Obviously, Mayor Johnson in the city of Chicago, Alderman Riley, whose ward we're in now,

[10:42](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=642) the Marine units of Chicago Fire and Chicago Police, U.S. Coast Guard. This is a national waterway, a federal waterway, so Coast Guard oversees it. We mentioned MWRD. We mentioned Friends of the River, my friend Margaret Frisbee. Current Shedd Aquarium is here. There are so many people who have put in the hard work to really turn around the quality of this river.

[11:15](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=675) Some of the metropolitan organizations, I'm thinking of the Magnificent Mile Association, Chicago Loop Alliance to Chicago World Business, World Business Chicago. I mean, it is their victory lap, too. So with that, I'd like to be able to turn this over to my friend Margaret Frisbee to talk a little bit about the work that Friends of the Chicago River have done.

[11:46](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=706) Good morning. I'm Margaret Frisbee, the executive director of Friends of the Chicago River, and I could not be more honored to be here. When Friends of the Chicago River was founded in 1979, not that many people really believed a day like this was possible. And yet here we are in this beautiful location on the Chicago River Walk, which is one of the finest assets that the city of Chicago has. And it's extraordinary to consider that we'll have the second annual Chicago River Swim here with thousands of eyes.

[12:17](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=737) Doug did not mention, and Beth would love to hear us get this out there, Last year, this event got 3 billion media impressions around the world. The Guardian, the New York Times, everywhere, everyone we knew around the world was like, look at Chicago, what a wonderful place. So on behalf of Friends of the Chicago River, I want to thank Mayor Brandon Johnson for his leadership and for recognizing that central role that the Chicago River plays in the lives of our city. It strengthens our communities. It supports wildlife. It provides places for relaxation and respite.

[12:52](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=772) And it also has an economy with jobs and income that come from the businesses along the river and the businesses that use the river. I also extend our deep gratitude to Doug McConnell and the entire ILS Long Swim team for their vision and perseverance. Like friends, founders who imagined a day like this 50 years ago, Doug believed that if we worked hard enough and if we stayed the course that we would prove that the Chicago River is a place that we can swim and he has proved that. So thank you, Doug. When Friends was founded in 1979, the river was fenced off, it was polluted

[13:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=805) and on average there was sewage in the water every three days. There was barely any wildlife, seven super hardy species of fish and it just wasn't a place for community and joy. It was treated as a back alleyway and was a dumping ground, literally. But today we know that the river is healthier than it's been in 175 years. The water is clean and protected by federal law. Wildlife thrives and people use the river to hike, bike, sit, eat, live, work and swim. So that transformation did not happen by accident.

[13:57](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=837) It happened because everybody worked so hard together. Government agencies that we've mentioned, the Park District, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, or community groups partners like the shed aquarium committed advocates volunteers and elected officials who see the value of a natural resource and understand that people need nature and nature need people nature needs people and people need swimming right so we are so excited to be part of this the chicago river swim is more than a restoration or athletic success story excuse

[14:27](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=867) me it's a powerful statement of who we are as a city one that believes in ourselves that has invested the financial tools the regulations and the big ideas to transform what was once as again a polluted back alleyway reversed and dredged and barely full of life into a place where all eyes will be upon us in september we're thrilled to celebrate this second anniversary of the chicago river swim we can't wait to be here with all of you in september and we are honored and thrilled to be part of this with the city of chicago again and all of these agencies

[15:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=900) So it's my pleasure to introduce the president of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, Carrie Steele, another agency without whom this would not be possible. President Steele. Thank you, Margaret, and good morning, everyone. How are you? Good morning. Well. Well, as stated, my name is Carrie Steele, and I am president of the Board of Commissioners at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. And I bring you greetings from our nine-member Board of Commissioners. Where we are now was long ago considered one of the city's backyards, as Margaret just stated.

[15:36](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=936) To our lakefront, the Chicago River now flows as a shining destination thanks to hard work, innovation, investment, collaboration, and advocacy for clean water. Years ago, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago reversed the flow of the river. with that main intent of providing drainage for the city of Chicago and conveying water away from our primary drinking water source, Lake Michigan.

[16:09](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=969) Now, thanks to continuous advancements, our water reclamation plants, the tunnel and reservoir plan, and investments in green infrastructure, the quality of water in the Chicago area waterway system has never been healthier. And it's a direct result of our treatment process at our water reclamation facilities. Making clean water is one example of making clean water in the river, which has improved

[16:42](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=1002) water quality, is the quantity and variety of fish swimming in the Chicago River. As stated before, in the 1970s, there were literally just seven species of fish in the river but now fast forward to where we are now there are over 77 species of fish flowing throughout the chicago area waterways and the chicago river so now yes that does deserve a round of applause because we have come a long way now the river is home to new wildlife a balanced eco a balanced

[17:19](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=1039) the ecology of human interaction it is full of boats kayaks a beautiful river walk of businesses and visitors and thriving economic development and none of this could be possible of course without clean water so i congratulate mayor johnson the department of environment the chicago park district friends of the chicago river doug mcconnell and the organizers of the chicago river Swim and I thank you for your partnership in protecting our water and the pride and

[17:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=1075) passion that you bring to our treasured Chicago River. We look forward to joining you in September for the Chicago River Swim and supporting the mission to safely swim while advancing ALS Research and Youth Swim Education. I would now like to welcome Carlos Ramirez-Rosa from the Park District. Thank you. Good morning. I will keep it brief because it is cold.

[18:34](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=1114) So thank you so much, President Steele. As was said, my name is Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and I'm the here today as we announce the second annual Chicago River Swim, because this year we're announcing a really great partnership. And I really want to thank Mayor Johnson for championing this partnership, for supporting this event, because the Chicago River Swim recognizes the importance of providing children across Chicago in every community with opportunities to enjoy the water

[19:10](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=1150) for fun. And that means that in order to enjoy the water for fun, you've got to learn how to swim. And at the Chicago Park District, we are committed through our Learn to Swim programs to ensure that our youth across the city gain those imperative life-saving skills of swimming. So I'm so thrilled to announce that thanks to this amazing event, thanks to the championing of Mayor Brandon Johnson, and thanks to the USA Swimming Foundation, in the coming years, we will receive 250,000 to support Youth Learn to Swim programs across the city of Chicago.

[19:47](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=1187) So that is an incredibly generous contribution that will support children on the south side, west side, north side, and all 77 communities with the opportunity to learn how to swim. And because of this generous contribution, we're going to be able to continue to expand these crucial offerings throughout the city of Chicago. It is through Chicago's passion for water recreation, whether it's our pools or 26 miles of beautiful lakefront, that this donation will allow us to continue to expand these life-saving lessons in areas that need them the most.

[20:21](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=1221) So over the Chicago Park District's 92-year history, we have taught generations how to swim, and we look forward to continuing to play that role in the city of Chicago so that we can continue to offer learn-to-swim instruction and other programs that promote water safety across our beautiful city. So thank you so much to Chicago River Swim, thank you so much to the USA Swimming Foundation, to Mayor Brandon Johnson, and of course to Doug McConnell. And with that, I want to turn over the mic to Doug.

[20:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=1255) Thank you very much, Carlos. Again, thank you all so much for coming today. I know that we're going to have some visits. Where's Keith? Here we go. And thank you again for coming. One last introduction I failed to make earlier was to thank the crew at the University of Illinois at Chicago for the remarkable water testing that they have instituted not only for the Chicago River, but all of the beaches on Lake Michigan.

[21:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=1285) We simply couldn't have done this without them, and they can take a victory lap, too. So thank you again for coming. Okay, just a couple of quick questions here. The rest of you, if you need to go warm up, you can. There's nothing important happening at this point. I do want to acknowledge that we have a representative from President Preikwinkel's office. Thank you for being here. And Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamps is here, too. Can you give her a round of applause? Okay. Maybe we'll start with Jeff.

[21:56](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=1316) We have time for one on-topic question. All right. Mayor Johnson, good morning. How are you doing? Good morning. I'm well. With all due respect, Mayor Johnson, I do want to ask about the democracy ordinance. It was pulled off off the agenda. On topic, Jeff. On topic, on topic. then here's the question uh the organizers have noted that this is a federal waterway are you concerned that uh washington may move to shut down this waterway in advance of this event you know

[22:27](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=1347) it's been this the city uh the government has been antagonistic towards chicago i'm not you know concerning myself with you know the threats that continue to come from the federal government this is you know obviously a way in which we can not just showcase environmental justice but we're raising money for an important cause right ALS but we're also ensuring that young people have access to programming within our parks so that's what our focus is going to be and we're looking for partners whether they are local leaders or federal leaders to ensure that we are raising

[23:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=1380) money to go towards research to deal with the disease while also creating more opportunities for our young people good morning sorry um speaking of threats from the federal government is it your understanding that a woman was detained at o'hare for over 30 hours last week thank you alice all right anyone else you all today from the media any other questions on topic go ahead mayor johnson real chicagoans are asking me to ask you about your recent

[23:31](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM?t=1411) conversation with asan piker okay what you told him thank you all right let's take a picture you Well, thank you all very much for coming out today. We're doing it on topic. Thank you. They want to know. Thank you.

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/PLkimTz4XsM · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt