Swimming isn’t included in the water recreation the newly rewatered part of the Illinois and Michigan Canal is for. Ottawa Police Chief Brent Roalson says besides being prohibited, it’s dangerous. The water’s not deep enough for diving. And it hasn’t been treated to make it safe for the kind of exposure people get from swimming. Roalson suggests cooling off at Fox River Park or Thornton Park at the splash pads.
Don’t swim in the I&M Canal
A hose connected to a fire hydrant on nearby Canal St. supplies this apparatus with water to fill the I&M Canal in Ottawa Thursday, June 9, 2022