Step 1 : Introduction to the question "Which U.S. river is widely known for flowing backward?"
...The Chicago River is renowned for flowing “backwards” after a landmark engineering project completed in 1900 reversed its natural direction. Originally draining into Lake Michigan, the river was redirected away from the lake through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to protect the city’s drinking water from sewage contamination. The reversed flow now carries water toward the Des Plaines River and ultimately into the Mississippi River system, making the Chicago River the most famous example of an intentionally reversed river in U.S. history.
