The North Shore Channel is a drainage canal

Canal

Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...

 built between 1907 and 1910 to flush the sewage-filled North Branch of the Chicago River

Chicago River

The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of the same name, including its center . Though not especially long, the river is notable for being the reason why Chicago became an important location, as the link between the Great Lakes and...

 down the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal

Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal

The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, historically known as the Chicago Drainage Canal, is the only shipping link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system, by way of the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers...

. The canal drains out of Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...

 in Wilmette

Wilmette, Illinois

Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located north of Chicago's downtown district and has a population of 27,651. Wilmette is considered a bedroom community in the North Shore district...

, near the Bahá'í House of Worship

Bahá'í House of Worship (Wilmette, Illinois)

The Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, is the oldest surviving Baha'i House of Worship in the world, and the only one in the United States.-Early plans:...

, and connects to the North Branch at the junction of several North Side community areas

Community areas of Chicago

Community areas in Chicago refers to the work of the Social Science Research Committee at University of Chicago which has unofficially divided the City of Chicago into 77 community areas. These areas are well-defined and static...

.

Today, the canal is often used by small boats, and is the basis for much local wildlife. Chicago's only waterfall in the city limits is where the North Branch drops four feet through a dam into the canal.