Illinois has established a Dam Review Task Force within the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The Task Force includes IDNR staff from the Office of Resource Conservation, Office of Realty & Environmental Planing and the Office of Water Resources. The Task Force serves as a coordination function and makes recommendations to Senior agency staff regarding a wide range of dam related issues for both public waters and non-public waters of the state. Specific issues include inventory of public and privately owned dams in the state, development of a program to evaluate removal, repair, modification options on all IDNR owned dams, and developing education and outreach programs to inform private dam owners on natural resource effects and available options.

The majority of activity related to dams has been on the Fox and Des Plaines Rivers in northeastern Illinois. A major study on the effects of 15 dams on the Fox River was just completed. The study funded by IL DNR and USEPA, shows significant negative effects of dams on fish habitat and water quality. A final report from the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation is expected this spring.

A brief summary of the status of dam projects is summarized below:

Upper Batavia Dam - Alternate study completed, options narrowed to full or partial removal, waiting for final decision from Stakeholders/State.

Yorkville Dam - full range of alternatives being studied.

Stratton Dam -Fish passage being upgraded.

Algonquin Dam - preliminary plans to upgrade fish passage.

Lower Batavia Dam -Alternatives analysis complete, permits for removal being sought.

North Avenue Dam -Permitted for removal with funds being sought.

Dayton Dam - IDNR providing comments on FERC licensing to consider canoe chute and fish passage.

Elgin Dam - private dam, contacted by consultants regarding installation of canoe chute and fish passage.

Carpentersville Dam - private dam, contacted by consultants regarding installation of canoe chute and fish passage.

Hoffman Dam -Alternative study completed, partial removal recommended to retain sediment.

Armitage Avenue Dam -Alternative study complete. Full removal recommended.

Fairbanks Dam -Alternative study complete. Full removal recommended.

Stonegate Dam - removal completed in 1999.

YMCA Dam - funded for removal, in design stage.

DeSantos Dam - funded for removal, in design stage.

Blackberry Creek Dam - feasibility study completed.

Illinois Rivers 2020

Illinois Rivers 2020 is a wide-ranging plan to restore and enhance the waterways of the Illinois River Basin. The approach is voluntary and based on state and federal incentives. Illinois Rivers 2020 links federal, state, and local resources in a cooperative effort focusing on:

- the mainstem and tributaries of the Illinois river, managing sediment, reducing flooding, restoring wildlife habitat through WRDA-authorized projects,

- rural watersheds, improved management of land and water through Farm Bill programs such as CREP, CRP, EQIP, WHIP, WRP

- urban areas, Clean Water Act projects to control storm water runoff and stabilize stream banks.

In Federal Fiscal Year 2001, the Illinois Rivers 2020 accomplished the following:

- a total of $2.2 million in new federal dollars ($1 million in CWA funds for stream bank stabilization projects, $600,000 on EQIP funding for cost share conservation practices on private lands, $600,000 of WRP easements for wetland restoration and long-term protection).

- A 3 year, $100 million authorization under WRDA for the Illinois River Basin Restoration.

With the federal appropriation for Illinois Rivers 2020 in the Federal Fiscal year 2002, the USACOE has initiated the feasibility phase for 6 site specific projects and watershed areas: Waubansee and Blackberry creek Watersheds, Upper Iroquois River Watershed, Kankakee River Mainstem, Farm Creek Watershed, Mckee Creek Watershed, and Pekin Lake. Construction is expected to begin in calendar year 2004.

USEPA has initiated $21 million in the President?s budget for a new Watershed Initiative. USEPA is proposing the Illinois Rivers 2020 focus on the Fox River to be selected as one of the 10-20 pilots. The State of Illinois would also like to offer the Kaskaskia Basin as well. A list of potential projects for funding is being developed.

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is a State Incentive Program combined with the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to provide long-term environmental benefits by allowing environmentally sensitive lands in the Illinois River Basin to be restored, enhanced or protected over a period of time from 15 years to perpetuity. Illinois has a current limited of 232,000 acres. The CREP Program is a partnership between landowners, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations is addressing water quality problems. As of the second quarter of FY 2002, 97,208 acres have been enrolled with 90% of those being permanent easements. An Annual Report for 2001 for the Illinois CREP is available upon request.

Rock River Basin

The Rock River Basin Restoration project with the USACOE also continues to proceed well. Project are being prepared for funding consideration under WRDA.

Kaskaskia River Basin

Efforts to develop an expedited USACOE Work Plan/Watershed Plan have been initiated for the Kaskaskia River Basin. This Work Plan would serve as the basis for developing authorization language in the 2003 WRDA for a large scale restoration effort in the Kaskaskia River Basin. As models for this plan, the integrated management Plan for the Illinois river Watershed, the Illinois Rivers 2020 Initiative and the 2002 WRDA authorization for the Illinois River basin restoration are being used. This plan will also be used to develop a program for the Kaskaskia River Basin, modeled on the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) for the Illinois River Basin.

This is the final year of the joint study with Iowa on flathead catfish in Pool 16 of the Mississippi. Over the 3 year study 590 flatheads were tagged with opercle tags and 32 fish implanted with radio transmitters. Kevin Hanson of Iowa presented summary results of the study at a joint Iowa/Illinois AFS meeting.

Initiation of a trophy catfish study near Mel Price Dam on the Mississippi, to try and determine population size structure and movement. In May, 159 flathead catfish fish > 14" were collected and tagged. Returns were received from both sport and commercial fishermen. Blue catfish data was retrieved at commercial markets as well. The information will help better manage the trophy fishery in the area.

Continuation of a shovelnose sturgeon population study on the Wabash River. the study was initiated in 2000 due to concern over possible over harvest of sturgeon for caviar market. In 2001 with assistance of commercial fishermen some 1000 sturgeon were tagged which, added to the 200 tagged the previous year, left 1,200 fish available for recapture in fall surveys but not one recapture was found.

The fourth year of a five year coordinated survey of sauger by the Ohio River Management Team states on the Ohio River. Illinois participated in these spring and fall surveys at the assigned locations tagging 836 fish. One sauger was later taken by a sport fisherman some 70 miles upriver near Evansville, Indiana.

Paddlefish Study on Mississippi and Ohio Rivers

Paddlefish tagging for the MICRA study on both the Mississippi and the Ohio rivers in winter through spring. This brought a total of 3,349 paddlefish that Illinois biologists have tagged during the 7 years of the study, of which 70 have been recaptured.

The Ohio River Management Team sponsored black bass study. October and November samples included 382 largemouth and 218 spotted bass, data from which is sent to Ohio for compilation of results from the 5 states.

In 1995, the Illinois General Assembly initiated Conservation 2000, a six year, $100 million initiative designed to take a holistic, long-term approach to protecting and managing Illinois? natural resources. In August of 1999, the Conservation 2000 initiative was extended until the year 2009. Conservation 2000 funds nine programs across three state agencies:

Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Ecosystem Program

Review of Illinois Water Law

Ecosystem Monitoring Program

Natural Resources Information Network

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

Illinois Clean Lakes Program

Illinois Department of Agriculture

Conservation Practices Cost-Share Program

Sustainable Agriculture Grants Program

Soil and Water Conservation District Program Development

Expansion Grants

Streambank Stabilization and Restoration Program

The Ecosystem Program component of Conservation 2000 integrates interests and participation of local communities and private, public and corporate landowners to enhance and protect the watersheds through the establishment of Ecosystem Partnership Areas. Program assistance a available to all those located within an Ecosystem partnership area. During FY 2001, there were 4 Partnership added, bringing the total to 34 Partnerships encompassing 23,850,879 acres or 67% of the State of Illinois.

In FY 2001, the Conservation 2000 program awarded over $5 million in grants to 30 Partnerships for 101 projects involving habitat restoration, enhancement, conservation and research. These 30 Partnerships brought an additional $10.1 million in cash, in-kind and other contributions to support these projects.

The IDNR has been working in cooperation with the Army corp of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife Service, City of Chicago and others (18-20 other groups or agencies) on the installation of an electric barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The electric barrier is an experimental effort to impede the invasion of the Round Goby from Lake Michigan into the Illinois Waterway System. While the barrier is now in place, is it still awaiting funding appropriations to make it fully operational. Since the project was originally conceived the Round Goby has move beyond the barrier location, but it is still anticipated that it will impede the invasion of this exotic. In addition, the electric barrier is hoped to also provide some level of defense for other exotics, including Bighead Carp and Silver Carp from invading Lake Michigan. Studies to monitor fish movements and to assess the barriers effectiveness are being conducted. The This project is monitored closely to determine if this is a potential viable option in other basins, including the Mississippi, St. Lawrence seaway and Lake Chaplain for example.

In addition to enforcement action being taken as a result of fish kill investigations, Natural Resource Damage (NRD) assessments that seek additional compensation are assessed by the IDNR and IEPA. Both Departments have been designated by the Governor as co-trustees and have authority to assess compensatory damages to natural resources. The Natural resource Trustee Program (NRTP) activities follow federal regulations and guidance provided under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), and the Clean Water Act. NRD actions are designed to compensate the public for past injury, interim injury until abatement actions are completed, and residual harm to natural resources remaining after abatement. The goal is to restore the injured natural resources to baseline or pre-release/spill conditions and obtain compensation for such damages including loss of service provided to the public.

Current NRD actions being taken on streams include Kaskaskia River/Copper Slough fish kill near Champaign, IL This fish kill occurred in October of 2000 and was 16 miles in extent. 344,781 estimated number of fish were killed, valued at $33,964.42. A remediation project under consideration through the NRD includes the installation of Newberry weirs to introduce habitat and provide additional streambank stabilization benefits in this stretch of channelized stream.

A second fish kill remediation project is underway on Cassel, Riley, and Kickapoo Creeks near Charleston, Il. A restoration of 0.7 mile is being sought.

A third project is in its initial stages for remediation on a half-mile stretch of stream following a six-mile fish kill on Sugar Creek near McLean, IL.

Illinois has been participating with the other Ohio River states in efforts to develop consistent fish kill investigation protocol for the mainstem of the Ohio River. Several drafts of the protocol have been considered with a final draft under review by all participating states.