Disclaimers

1. The information provided by H2NOW is not meant to evaluate biological safety of the river, and neither Current nor its partners are responsible and/or legally liable for illnesses contracted/injuries incurred by persons who engage with the river based on the H2NOW data.

2. Never drink directly from the Chicago River, no matter the data provided by H2NOW.

3. H2NOW measures microbial water quality only. There may be other chemical substances present in the water that make it unsafe for recreation.

4. Most fecal coliforms are not pathogenic and only used as indicators of the presence of dangerous pathogens in the water. Pathogens may still be present even if the fecal coliform number is below the recreational standard of 200 CFU/100 mL.

5.  Tryptophan levels reflect the overall microbial content and they are not a direct measurement of fecal coliforms. While we expect tryptophan to correlate well to fecal coliforms during certain conditions, it can not be taken as a measure of safety of the water. When tryptophan levels rise, direct fecal coliform testing must be conducted to confirm whether the water quality standard has been exceeded. 

6. Sensors only give information about water quality at the location of the probe. Water quality may be different elsewhere in the river. Water quality upstream of a probe location can not be known.

7. Sensors only give information about water quality at the time of measurement (every 15 minutes). While unlikely, water quality may worsen in-between the scheduled measurements or during gaps that may occur due to data collection or transmission failures.