The Port of Chicago consists of several major port facilities on

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

within the city of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, operated by the Illinois International Port District (formerly known as the Chicago Regional Port District). It is a multimodal facility featuring Senator Dan Dougherty Harbor (Lake Calumet), the Iroquois Landing Lakefront Terminus, and Harborside International Golf Center. The central element of the Port District, Calumet Harbor, is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The modern Port of Chicago links inland canal and river systems in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

to the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

, giving the global shipping market access to the St. Lawrence Seaway and linking the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

to the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

by way of the Illinois Waterway and the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

History

In 1951, the

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in ...

authorized the creation of port districts in Illinois with the Chicago Regional Port District, to oversee harbor and port development, being the first such port district created. The State of

and

City of Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

had relinquished all rights and interest in the bed of Lake Calumet to the Port District, so as to enable the District to develop Calumet Harbor. The district was given the power to acquire any navigable waters of the state which were within the District area. The constitutionality of the district was challenged in ''People v. Chicago Regional Port District''. The plaintiffs, later the appellants, challenged the district on the grounds that the sale or lease of navigable waters by the State was prohibited and the State did not have the ability to establish special corporations. In 1954, the

Illinois Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the judiciary of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the fiv ...

rejected the appellants’ claim to possess constitutional standing with respect to the elements claimed as grounds. In 1985, the Illinois International Port District was created by the Illinois International Port District Act as a political subdivision to run the Port of Chicago.

C.T.C. No. 1

C.T.C. No. 1 is a 620-foot-long cargo hauler brought to the south Chicago ports in 1982. With a capacity of 16,300 tons, this ship was used for the storage and transfer of cement until its termination in 2009. The ship hasn't moved since its termination and then purchase by the Grand River Navigation Co., Traverse City, MI.

Port Commerce & Foreign Trade Zone No. 22

Illinois International Port District is responsible for Foreign Trade Zone No. 22. This zone spans 8 counties: Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kankakee, Kendall,

Lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

, and

Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

Counties as well as portions of McHenry and Kane Counties. Around the Calumet zone the district maintains 20 acres of land for future developments as well as 400,000 square feet of warehouse space. At the mouth of the Calumet River is the Iroquois Landing Lakefront Terminus, this Area is utilized as Shipping container processing and storage space. The terminal currently handles of paved concrete grounds as well as 3000 feet of boat and barge berths. The Iroquois Terminus is serviced with direct trucking and rail access supported by two transit sheds spanning 100,000 square feet including a 135 railcar staging area. About 6 miles along the Calumet River it feeds into Lake Calumet which contains two grain elevators maintained by the port authority and is reported to have a combined capacity of 14 million bushels, as well as liquid bulk storage of 800,000 barrels.

Governance

The Illinois International Port District Act creates a nine member board. Four members are appointed by the

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its we ...

with the

advice and consent Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in List of enacting formulae, enacting formulae of bill (proposed law), bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts. It describes either of two situations: where a weak executive ...

of the Illinois Senate and five members are appointed by the

Mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the Chief executive officer, chief executive of city Government of Chicago, government in Chicago, Illinois, the List of United States cities by population, third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsib ...

with the advice and consent of the

Chicago City Council The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the Law and government of Chicago, government of the Chicago, City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 Wards of the United States, wards to serve four-year t ...

. The Illinois International Port District is the only port district in Illinois that may not levy taxes. By statute, the Executive Director of the IIPD is a member of the Task Force on the Conservation and Quality of the Great Lakes.

Reform efforts and proposals

In 2008, the Chicago Civic Federation proposed the dissolution of the Illinois International Port District. Under their plan, port operations and related lands would transfer to the

; transfer of open land to the Forest Preserve District of Cook County; and transfer Harborside International Golf Center to the control of the Chicago Park District. In July 2013, Chicago Mayor

Rahm Emanuel Rahm Israel Emanuel (; born November 29, 1959) is an American politician, advisor, diplomat, and former investment banker who most recently served as List of ambassadors of the United States to Japan, United States ambassador to Japan from 2022 ...

and

Pat Quinn proposed a privatized revitalization of the Port Facilities and District area. Attempting to strike a deal with Private family-owned International Investment and Management company Broe Group. Negotiation for this revitalization ended on the negotiation table without definitive statement. During the 100th Illinois General Assembly, Elaine Nekritz filed House Bill 2502 which, if signed into law, would have replaced the district’s current governing board with the

. The bill was referred to the Rules Committee and died at the end of the legislative session. As of 2019, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is studying the District, Its facilities, and the surrounding area to provide a economic solution for the Port to operate out of the negative.

Facilities

*Iroquois Landing Lakefront Terminal: ** of warehouses and facilities. **780,000+ square meters (8.39 million square feet) of storage. *Lake Calumet terminal: **Transit sheds: 29,000 square meters (315,000 square feet). **900+ linear meters (3000 linear feet) of ship and barge berthing. **Approximately 1,600 acres. **Grain storage: 493,000 metric tons (14 million bushels) **Bulk liquid storage: 127 million liters (800,000 barrels)

References

{{Authority control Ports and harbors of Illinois River ports of the United States Foreign trade zones of the United States Transportation in Chicago