River Swimming? Green Infrastructure? Disinfection? The Stakes in the MWRD Race

As the agency responsible for stormwater management and sewage treatment in Cook County, with its treatment plants discharging into the Chicago-Calumet River system, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) has a massive role to play in protecting the watershed. Our community deserves clear information about where candidates stand on the issues that will shape the future of the river system.

For the 2026 primary election, Friends of the Chicago River solicited responses about important river issues from candidates running to fill three MWRD Commissioner seats with six-year terms and one seat with a two-year term. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Friends of the Chicago River does not support or oppose candidates for public office. The candidate responses to this questionnaire are provided solely for informational and voter education purposes, reflect the responses received, and may not represent a comprehensive list of all candidates. Responses are listed in alphabetical order.

Survey Questions

  1. What barriers do you see that prevent municipalities and communities from adopting green infrastructure, and what specific steps would you take as a Commissioner to help overcome these barriers?

  2. The Illinois EPA is currently reviewing water quality standards for the Chicago Area Waterway System as part of the ongoing Triennial Review process, including evaluating whether disinfection should be required at the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant, which is the largest wastewater treatment facility in the system. Do you support requiring disinfection at Stickney? If no, why not?

  3. On September 21, the Chicago River Swim was held safely and successfully for the first time in nearly a century, receiving over 3 billion media impressions worldwide. World-class cities including Paris and London have joined the Swimmable Cities Charter to normalize safe access to urban rivers. Do you support further opportunities for swimming in the Chicago River in the future? If not, why not?

Responses at a Glance

The answers here summarize the candidates’ positions. The complete answers provided by respondents can be accessed in this document.

Candidate

Q1: Barriers to Green Infrastructure (GI)

Q2: Disinfection at Stickney

Q3: Future Swimming in the Chicago River

Precious Brady-Davis

Historic disinvestment and deteriorated grey infrastructure push communities toward familiar grey solutions; GI is seen as slower or secondary. Supports visible pilot projects like Space to Grow, education, maintenance training, and continued MWRD partnership programs to build trust and capacity.

No: costly, energy-intensive, increases carbon footprint, and does not address CSOs, which are the primary public health risk.

Supports highly controlled, one-off swim events only; opposes widespread swimming due to heavy commercial vessel traffic and safety risks.

Sarah Bury

Barriers include complex paperwork, lack of education, perceived costs, space tradeoffs with housing, and misconceptions about GI impacts. Supports workshops, technical assistance, education on plant choices, and creative GI solutions that coexist with development.

Yes

Supports swimming and competitive swim events as a way to increase public investment, trust, and advocacy for waterways.

Eira Corral-Sepúlveda

Supportive of EJ policy, EJ Division staffing, Community Partnership Councils, and technical assistance and cost-sharing for Disproportionately Impacted Areas to address financial and staffing gaps.

No: not financially feasible at this time; committed to meeting NPDES standards and continuing to evaluate viable technologies.

Supports CSO reduction, infrastructure investment, and real-time monitoring as prerequisites to enable expanded swimming opportunities.

Cameron Davis

Lack of complementary funding outside Chicago limits GI expansion. Advocates cost-share models like Space to Grow and has pursued state, federal, county, and municipal funding to close suburban funding gaps.

Yes

Supports swimming as a signal of global leadership in urban river restoration, similar to Paris.

Beth McElroy Kirkwood

Barriers include upfront costs, maintenance concerns, and reluctance to move beyond traditional infrastructure. Emphasizes education, community engagement, intergovernmental collaboration, and expanding successful models like Space to Grow beyond Chicago.

Yes

Supports safe swimming and recreation, citing EPA standards, success of the Chicago River Swim, and improved public perception of the river.

See complete reponses in this document. Please be sure to register and make a plan to vote.