June 17--Days after Chicago finished a new stretch of the downtown Riverwalk, a signature project of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, city officials scrambled to reopen it by Wednesday morning after heavy rains pushed sewage-laced floodwaters over portions of the popular pedestrian pathway.
A dark brown substance caked large sections of the walk Tuesday morning, along with debris including baseballs, driftwood and liquor bottles. Tiers of steps extending toward the river's edge were submerged, as were portions of the pathway extending beneath Chicago River bridges.
The floodwaters consisted of a combination of stormwater and some raw sewage, said Ed Staudacher, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District's supervising civil engineer.
Flooding disrupted the routines of runners and bikers seeking exercise and disappointed tourists hoping for a stroll. On the Internet, people asked whether a design flaw had caused the closure.
City officials and one of the project's architects argued that the new stretch of Riverwalk, which seeks to let visitors sit and stroll almost at water level, was built with materials and plantings that can stand up to occasional flooding.
"It was designed, after a power wash, to go right back into service," said Chicago architect Carol Ross Barney.
Running along a three-block stretch of Wacker Drive, from State Street to LaSalle Street, the new section represents the first part of a $110 million westward extension of the public space. When the second part is completed late next year, it will create a continuous, 1 1/4-mile pedestrian and bike path from Lake Michigan to Lake Street. Emanuel has touted the project as his equivalent of Millennium Park.
But after nearly 3 inches of rain fell on Chicago on Monday night, following heavy storms Sunday, the Riverwalk looked more like a disaster zone.
With the Deep Tunnel, a $3 billion pollution- and flood-control project, overflowing, the water reclamation district opened locks near Navy Pier to prevent flooding in downtown parking garages and basements, Staudacher said. That caused a torrent of stormwater to pour into Lake Michigan.
At one point, water rose to the top steps of the Riverwalk, said Andy Studebaker, manager of the City Winery, which opened on the pedestrian path Friday.
By Tuesday afternoon, a few dozen patrons were eating lunch or dining at the restaurant, which is in a portion of the Riverwalk that was partially open. Floodwaters did not seep inside and there was no property damage, Studebaker said.
Workers were power-washing and sweeping closed sections of the walk Tuesday. Michael Claffey, a spokesman for the city's Department of Transportation, said the cleanup costs would be covered by the city's contract with MB Realty to maintain the Riverwalk.
Staudacher, of the water reclamation district, said the infiltration of the sewage-infested floodwaters would not cause an ongoing health problem.
"I would have no problem sitting once they're cleaned," he said of the Riverwalk's steps and benches. "They're going to sit out in the sun. The sun has natural ... disinfection."
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