Friends of the Parks is proud to announce a major victory for environmental justice, public health, and the future of Chicago’s parklands.

After years of persistent community advocacy, coalition building, and legal action carried out in partnership with Alliance of the Southeast (ASE) and Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has officially withdrawn their proposal to expand the Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) on Chicago’s Southeast Side. 

In 2023, ELPC, on behalf of FOTP and ASE, filed a federal lawsuit to challenge the US Army Corps of Engineers' plan to vertically expand the CDF, a toxic dredge disposal facility located in a community with predominantly Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC).

The Southeast side, which was a hub for the steel industry for the past 100 years, ranks among the most vulnerable neighborhoods in Chicago for air pollution exposure (Chicago Department of Public Health, 2022). Expanding the CDF will only perpetuate the legacy of systematic injustice and environmental neglect that the Southeast side has endured for generations. 

Confined Disposal Facility, Chicago Sun-Times

We celebrate this decisive moment as an opportunity to begin a new chapter. We look forward to working alongside our partners, the Chicago Park District, and the South Side community to transform this site into the long-promised lakefront park. This is a historic step towards environmental justice for the people of the Southeast Side and for all of Chicago. 

And yet, our work continues. We remain vigilant to ensure that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers properly cleans, safely caps, and restores the site in accordance with public health standards and community benefits. 

This successful campaign is a reminder of the transformative power of community and collective action. By investing in parks, we are also investing in stronger communities and a healthier planet. 

We invite you to join us on August 2nd for Park Heroes to learn more about our work to protect and preserve our shared green spaces, including our initiatives in Southeast Chicago.

Join us as we build an inclusive park movement to ensure that Chicago’s parks are places where we all can thrive. Learn more about Park Heroes and RSVP below.  

In solidarity,

Brian Gladstein, Executive Director 

and the rest of the FOTP team

Friends of the Parks

312-857-2757

info@fotp.org

fotp.org

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