 Commercial fishing in Lake Senachwine continued until 1900-1910, when toxic waste was injected into the Illinois River through the newly dug Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.Efforts to remediate Senachwine Lake have concentrated on mandates to clean up sewage discharges into the Illinois River drainage, and efforts to cut the erosion of Illinois topsoil into the lake and river.Adjacent areas of Putnam County are vulnerable to erosion, as they are heavily cultivated for corn and soybeans.