Lakes and streams within the North Branch Chicago River watershed have been identified by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) as impaired for phosphorus, fecal coliform, chloride and other pollutants. The pollutants are a result of point and nonpoint source pollution, entering rivers and streams through pipes and by sheet flow, after flowing across the landscape. These rivers and streams do not meet Illinois EPA’s designated uses of aquatic life, primary contact recreation, and fish consumption. Illinois EPA’s goal is to improve water quality so that waterbodies can be removed from the impaired list.
In lieu of imposing costly upgrades to publicly owned treatment works’ (POTWs) and more stringent permit limits to communities’ National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, Illinois EPA is allowing for the formation of a local workgroup, to take these issues of water quality impairment on at a local level. This model is being successfully implemented in areas across the state.
In response, POTWs and communities within the North Branch Chicago River watershed in Lake County have formed a workgroup: a voluntary, dues paying, membership organization with a mission to bring together a diverse coalition of stakeholders to work to improve water quality in the watershed, in a cost-effective manner to meet Illinois EPA NPDES permit requirements. The North Branch Watershed Workgroup (NBWW) is committed to an approach for attaining water quality standards that focuses on stakeholder involvement, monitoring, and locally led decision-making based on sound science.
Membership consists of municipalities and agencies with separate storm sewer systems (MS4s), Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW), and other interested parties. Dues include a fixed component, plus a variable amount that is based on the Design Average Flow for POTWs, and drainage area within the watershed for MS4s. Dues are weighted so that POTWs will be responsible for one third of the annual NBWW budget and MS4s/and other NPDES permit entities will be responsible for two thirds of the annual budget.
