Calumet River The Calumet River, on the
south side of
Chicago, originally simply drained
Lake Calumet to Lake Michigan. A canal extending it, legendarily claimed to have been created by
voyageurs at the site of a frequent portage, was dug connecting the two Calumet Rivers at the point where the name now changes from Grand to Little. The
T.J. O'Brien Lock and Dam was installed across the river in 1960 to control the movement of water between Lake Michigan and the river.
Grand Calumet River The Grand Calumet River, originating in
Miller Beach, flows through the cities of Gary,
East Chicago and
Hammond, as well as
Calumet City and
Burnham on the
Illinois side. The majority of the river's flow drains into
Lake Michigan via the
Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal, sending about per second of water into the lake. Today, a large portion of the river's flow originates as municipal and industrial
effluent, cooling and process water and storm water overflows. Although discharges have been reduced, a number of contaminants continue to impair the area.
Little Calumet River in September 2008 The Little Calumet River originally flowed from
New Durham Township, LaPorte County, Indiana, to its junction with the Grand Calumet and Calumet rivers. Construction of the
Portage Burns Waterway (Burns Ditch) in 1926 split the direction of flow of the Little Calumet River, at Hart Ditch, east of which it flows into Lake Michigan at the
Port of Indiana Burns International Harbor. The confluence with Hart Ditch is located west of US-41 in
North Township, Lake County. The Burns Ditch channelized the path of the Little Calumet River from its confluence with Deep River, at Three Rivers County Park, to the Port of Indiana by cutting through the Indiana Dunes. Three Rivers County Park is located on the border of Gary and Lake Station where I-65 meets the Borman Expressway. East of the Burns Ditch the river is called the East Arm Little Calumet River, west of the Burns ditch it is named Little Calumet River. The Little Calumet River flows through or borders the towns of
Portage,
Lake Station,
Gary,
Highland,
Griffith,
Munster, and
Hammond, then through
South Holland,
Dolton,
Lansing,
Calumet City,
Harvey,
Riverdale,
Phoenix,
Dixmoor, Burnham, and
Blue Island in Illinois, connecting to the Cal-Sag Channel and at the junction of the Grand Calumet River and Calumet River. This arm of the river is long. The major tributaries are
Deep River and its Turkey Creek sub-tributary, and the
Salt Creek tributary of the
East Arm Little Calumet River. Each tributary originates on the Valparaiso Moraine and flows north to the Little Calumet River. It has a total length of .
Cal-Sag Channel The Cal-Sag Channel (short for "Calumet-Saganashkee Channel") is a navigation
canal in southern
Cook County,
Illinois. It serves as a channel between the
Little Calumet River and the
Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. It is long and was dug over an 11-year period, from 1911 until 1922. The Cal-Sag Channel serves barge traffic in what was an active zone of
heavy industry in the far southern neighborhoods of the city of
Chicago and adjacent suburbs. As of 2006 it was also used more as a conduit for wastewater from southern Cook County, including the Chicago-area
Deep Tunnel Project, into the
Illinois Waterway. It is also used by pleasure crafts in the summer time. The western of the channel flow through the
Palos Forest Preserves, a collection of protected County Forest Preserves operated by the
Forest Preserve District of Cook County. The Cal-Sag Channel served as the
rowing venue for the
1959 Pan American Games. When it is completed, the Calumet-Sag Trail, a
greenway, will border the channel and will stretch from the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to the Burnham Greenway. ==See also==