What’s up with that?

Photo: Courtesy Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation

Q On the Chicago River, I spotted a crew of two on an official City of Chicago vessel, which had a large receptacle on the deck that looked like a pool skimmer. Does the Chicago River, in essence, have its own pool boys? —David W., Logan Square

A That lobster-looking dingy is the Department of Streets and Sanitation’s garbage-removal boat, named DSS2, which does in fact act as the Chicago River’s very own superpowered pool boy. “The boat pulls debris out of the river and stores it on deck; it brings [trash] into a mesh cube,” says Matt Smith, spokesman for Streets and San. Once the mesh container is full, the two-person crew unloads its nasty catch into a city Dumpster. Streets and San bought the boat last summer, to the tune of $600,000, and it’s been pulling literally tons of junk out of the river ever since: It removed 18,760 pounds of garbage in the first week of June alone. The DSS2 also uses a water cannon to rinse riverside garbage down to the boat’s waiting jaws and runs an oxygenation system that pumps 150,000 liters of fish-friendly oxygen into the water every hour. Streets and San also operates a second boat, DSS1—a former police boat that now blasts riverside graffiti full-time. “Having both boats,” Smith says, “gives us a good one-two punch on the waterways.”

Curious about something around town? E-mail us at chicago@timeoutchicago.com.

• More "What’s up with that?"
• More Museums & Culture articles