I agree we should always be pushing to make things better, particularly in regards to our environmental resources. However, I don't think we're seeing the whole story on this discussion.
1st) Rep. Quigley states "Safe water and clean air have to be at the top of our priorities." However, everyone keeps ignoring the fact that UV disinfecting uses a ton of energy which could lead to a drastic increase in the MWRD's carbon footprint. When I think about what worries me most in our environment today it's global climate change and not killing the final 20% or so of bacteria in the Chicago River.
2nd) If we going to push for a cleaner Chicago river, then I want this push to come from the residents and tax-payers of Cook County. We're not talking about giant corporate conglomerates polluting our river, we're talking about a government agency run by ELECTED officials. If the residents of Cook County want to see the River cleaned, they should push that through the ballot box.
I don't agree with an unelected US EPA coming into our city and enforcing unfunded requirements upon our residents. The percentage of federal tax money that returns to Illinois compared to what we send to Washington places us in the bottom five in the country. If the federal government wants to place more requirements on our taxpayers, then they need to find a way to help foot the bill.
3rd) None of this makes any sense until we can find the funding to complete the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) project. Without that project being completed the city will still experience numerous Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO) events each year -- in these events completely raw sewage dumps into the river (and sometimes the lake) to handle exceptionally large amounts of rain. Finishing this project should be the number one priority of the MWRD.