145 Practically doubling the amount of water available, the Fox River once again supplies water for its Elgin residents. This would double yet again in 1997 when the Water Department invested in a 17.5 million dollar project to expand the Riverside Water Treatment Plant.18 The official website of Elgin has links on their website to help protect the Fox River and raise awareness as well as other sites for the modern era.19 Currently, 94% of Elgin’s raw water is from the Fox River after treatment with the remaining 6% from deep wells.20 This goes to show that while the Fox River didn’t help with the entirety of Elgin’s urbanization and growth, it still helped Elgin to an extent. To be fair, Elgin was one of the reasons why the Fox River was polluted in the first place, however, Elgin is currently treating it and making sure the Fox River doesn’t go anywhere. The Fox River acts as a backbone for Elgin, supplying water, while the urbanization of Elgin does the rest. Elgin is now a city with more than 100,000 people residing in it. It has homes for people as well as a big school system that tries its hardest for the students to supply them with what they need to excel. The origin place of the Elgin National Watch Company is now a plaza that has a bakery, a grocery store, a shoe store, and typical modern stores. Elgin can be quiet at times but nonetheless, it is a place filled with culture where residents have adapted to make Elgin their home and I have fun memories of fishing with my dad along the great Fox River. 18 Ibid. 19 Friends of the Fox River, Friends of the Fox River 20 City of Elgin, History of the Fox River
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