From Sanitary to Prairie: Shaping the Future of Illinois Prairie Canal
For more than three years, Friends of the Chicago River has been leading a regional movement to rename and reimagine the 28-mile Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Working alongside elected officials, government agencies, and community partners, Friends is helping build a new vision for a waterway that has shaped the region for 126 years and holds significant potential for the future.
Last summer, nearly 4,000 people voted overwhelmingly to select Illinois Prairie Canal as the proposed new name. The name reflects a vision that honors the canal’s history while recognizing its place within the thriving 156-mile Chicago-Calumet River system, where ecological restoration, economic opportunity, and community connections continue to grow. The name change is not yet official, and Friends and its partners are currently working through the federal application process.
As part of this effort, a yearlong discovery process has explored what is happening in and along the canal and what more the waterway could become. Through research, interviews, workshops, tours, mapping, and data collection, project partners have been examining the canal’s current conditions, its surrounding communities, and opportunities to shape its future.
Now, as this discovery phase concludes, the project’s Steering Committee is inviting community members and regional stakeholders to take part in the next conversation.
Join Friends and its partners for lunch and a discussion about what the project has uncovered, what opportunities lie ahead, and to share your perspective to inform the ongoing effort to shape the future of what we hope will be renamed the Illinois Prairie Canal.
From Sanitary to Prairie: What Comes Next?
Friday, December 4, 2026
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Cog Hill Golf and Country Club, Main Room
12294 Archer Ave., Lemont
Registration is required by November 23.
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Annie Hanrahan, director of development at Friends of the Chicago River, at (312) 939-0490, ext. 19, or ahanrahan@chicagoriver.org.
Learn more about the project and its vision for the canal at boldpastbrightfuture.org.
