Swimming Where?

This used to be guaranteed hospital visit:

• Despite promotion for a swimming event in the Chicago River, it turns out the city has not yet approved it. The swim, which would be the first open water swim in the river in nearly a century, is scheduled for September 22, and registration is already open. Money raised has been designated to go to ALS research.

  But at Wednesday's city council meeting, 34th Ward Ald. William Conway, whose ward covers part of downtown, said he was never notified of the event. He questioned officials with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events about it. They said the event announcement came out "without any permits or approval from the city of Chicago."

Back when we were young, we remember CPD and CFD divers having to have a battery of tests and more than a few shots after searching for bridge jumpers or vehicles that drove into the river. Even those who were rescued from falling in had to be tested for diphtheria and god knows what else lest they die from the pathogens in the raw sewage headed downstream.

We're even old enough to remember old man Daley wanting to clean the river in the 1970s so kids could fish in it and members of the City Council and media laughing at his words.

It's taken nearly our lifetimes to get the Chicago River to the point that someone could even think about swimming in it and we have to say, good for them. We'd never eat a fish pulled out of the river and we'd probably laugh at someone doing the river swim and ending up with a months-long case of diarrhea, but at least your skin isn't dissolving.