ILLINOIS
Illinois has expanded and refined its management of nonpoint source
pollution to consider watershed protection. This holistic approach will focus
on watersheds with the most pressing environmental needs and that will result
in the greatest benefit. A prime example is the Waukegan River, a priority
waterbody in a targeted watershed.
Streambank Stabilization Stems Erosion on the Waukegan River
After years of streambank erosion that has destroyed park lands and bridges
and endangered sewer lines, the Waukegan River is making a comeback.
Located about 35 miles north of Chicago, the Waukegan River is 12.5 miles
long with a watershed of 7,640 acres. It flows through a densely populated area
and discharges into Lake Michigan only 6,000 feet from Chicago's freshwater
intake. The problems with the Waukegan River are twofold. First, expanded
commercial construction and residential housing development has increased the
impervious surface area. This has caused a sharp rise in stormwater peak
discharge volume and rates as well as an influx of typically urban nonpoint
pollution sources such as toxic hydrocarbons and solid waste.
Second, an unstable stream channel has led to severely eroded banks in the
streamside parks along the river. The eroded sediment has endangered pedestrian
traffic, damaged sewer lines, and increased the nonpoint source pollution load
(TSS) to Lake Michigan.
Therefore, federal, state, and local officials have joined together to
prevent further water quality degradation and restore the Waukegan River. A
two-year section 319 project, undertaken by the City of Waukegan and the
Waukegan Park District, received $200,000 in - November 1991. The Waukegan
River Stream Stabilization and Management Project is providing vegetative
stabilization with grasses and willows, structural stabilization with riprap,
and habitat structures with vegetation.
In fall 1992, stabilization construction in two Waukegan streamside
parks--Powell and Washington--was completed. City and park personnel attended a
workshop on stream stabilization and project requirements. Other park areas
along the river are also being restored.
As part of the Waukegan project, park and city regulations were drafted to
protect restored streambanks, maintain vegetation, and dispose of trash, solid
waste, and petroleum products. The Waukegan Park District has adopted the
regulations and is currently discussing their adoption with the City of
Waukegan. The final stage of the Waukegan project will include developing a
stream maintenance plan for the river and its borders, a final report that
explains the project implementation, and an evaluation of its success. The
evaluation will cover improvements in water quality, habitat, and bank
stabilization, and the cost effectiveness of the installed restoration
practices compared to alternative management strategies. The completed
construction at Powell Park has already stabilized portions of the streambank.
In the last months of the project, restoration will continue and action will be
taken to maintain this restoration.
The completed stream stabilization measures on the Waukegan River
successfully withstood the considerable rainfall during summer 1993 with no
loss of streambank. And the river's appearance indicates an improvement in
water quality through reduced sediment loadings.
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