The Memorial Fountain

     If you've indulged in one of our city's many river cruises, you may have noticed a giant jet of water shooting over the river at various times throughout the day. Well, what you have seen is not a fluke, but it is one of Chicago's more unique memorials. Built in 1989, the Nicholas J. Melas Memorial Fountain was erected to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. The creation of the MWRD came about at a time when the Chicago River had devolved into a disgusting and disease-ridden cesspool that emptied straight into the source of the city's drinking water. After one too many cholera outbreaks(I'm not joking) the city decided to reroute the river. The MWRD was created for that, and it worked. The fountain itself sprays across the river for 10 Minutes every hour on the hour. It was named after Nicholas Melas, who had been a member of the MWRD for 30 years, including the last 18 as President.