Watershed News
• Indian Creek Needs Your Help
• Taking Stock of Our Lakes
• Countryside Lake Kids
• Forest Lake Buffers
Links / Resources
• Water related links
• Plants and animals
• Grants
• Education
Whether Flooding, Stable or During Drought Conditions: Indian Creek Needs Your Help
There are constant pressures on the Indian Creek Watershed. The primary difference between now and twenty years ago is people. Indian Creek used to be an agricultural area, but now with more neighborhoods, roads, businesses, channelized streams, and detention areas we are considered suburban in density. One third of our watershed has wetland soils, but we have only half the wetlands we once did. Currently about 28% of our watershed has impervious cover like parking lots, rooftops, driveways, etc. where water picks up speed and pollutants over the land during a big rain and causes excess flooding in some areas. Our impervious cover is projected to rise to 36% over the next 20 years. (Source: SMC’s Indian Creek Watershed Plan). Our streams and lakes are having a hard time rebounding after such events because of the water volume. Mother nature can do it by herself in low density areas, but she needs help here in suburban Indian Creek. By planting native vegetation, controlling exotics on shorelines and buffer areas, minimizing runoff and chemical use on our properties, installing rain gardens to soak up rain water, planting trees that suck up thousands of gallons of water, we can ALL help this special watershed.
In a drought situation like we had this year... save as much water as you can by limiting water use. Some people in our area have already experienced wells drying up, so please think about your water use. Don’t waste it or run it needlessly, limit pollutants in your home and yard, plant native vegetation that does not require much watering, turn off water timers. You can also help provide healthy habitat for all our neighbors in Indian Creek by naturalizing your yard, woodland or swale, AND by supporting the Indian Creek Watershed Project so we can get more on the ground projects going for better water quality. Remember, the water you save today may be preserving your drinking water for tomorrow.
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Taking Stock of Our Lakes, the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program (VLMP)
By trade Greg Denny is Operations Manager for a wastewater services testing laboratory, Environmental Monitoring and Technology (EMT), but in his leisure time he likes to be boating on the water near his home at Diamond Lake. He wanted to get more in touch with the conditions of the lake so he decided to become a volunteer under the IEPA’s Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program (VLMP). Using a Secchi disk he measures water clarity (transparency). The disk is lowered into the lake, and the depth at which it is no longer visible is noted. This system documents the visual quality of lake water. Greg has noticed that the water was clearer this year than previously, most likely due to the drought. Monitoring is conducted twice a month from April - October, at three sites per lake.He says it doesn’t take much time really and keeps you in touch with your lake. After doing it for five years, he has become most aware of the annual increase of traffic on Diamond Lake. If you are interested in monitoring your lake for a few years or want more information about this program contact Holly Hudson, NE IL Vlmp Coordinator at the Northeastern IL Planning Commission, hhudson@nipc.org
Countryside Lake Kids: Learning How to Help Indian Creek and Their Lake Every Summer
Over recent years, Countryside Lake has had 
problems with erosion and issues with sediment coming into their lake from upstream development and agriculture. Rosemary Aitken, ICWP Board member, believes in helping the lake’s conditions and the watershed by working with the future ... the children. Her Countryside Lake Kids Club has grown from 8 members three years ago to as many as 30 participants this summer. They have studied lake quality with the Lake County Health Department, they have done volunteer monitoring of streams with Stormwater Management Commission staff, they have looked for critters under a microscopic lens in a pool and they have done much more good science for the benefit of water quality.
This year their weekly excursions took them water sampling with Pat Bland from Integrated Lakes Management, to Volo Bog to compare wildlife with that of Countryside Lake, on a waterway tour and to the lakeshore of the Chicago Botanic Garden. They also looked for shoreline erosion areas around their lake. Rosemary says “We’ll beat watershed problems if we work with the children. They have the creativity and the energy to solve our current and future problems, we just have to give them the tools!”
Forest Lake Student Learns the Importance of Buffers
Lisa Zickuhr was in an Environmental Ethics class at Notre Dame University this past Fall. As part of her “experiential learning project” she wanted to know more about Forest Lake, where she grew up in Hawthorn Woods. She called ICWP President, Tori Trauscht, and they visited the lake. After viewing the lake conditions and referring to the Lake County Health Department/Lakes Management Unit’s report on Forest Lake from 2000, it appears that if homeowners allowed more unmown buffers (10-15 feet) with deep rooted native plants on the shoreline (like the home at the right) and used less fertilizer containing phosphorus it would greatly help their lake. Carp also need to be controlled in the lake. This is the case with most lakes in Indian Creek as well. Natural buffers prevent erosion and trap extra nutrients while also providing habitat for other species. Carp stir up the lake causing turbidity and prohibit good plant growth. Some lakes like Sylvan Lake hold fishing contests to help control these bottom dwellers. Hats off to Lisa for wanting to learn more about her lake.
For more helpful information on lake management or to view county lake reports go to the Lake County Health Dept./Lakes Management Unit website at http://www.co.lake.il.us/health/ehs/lakes.asp
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ICWP Other Water Related Links
All
these links will open a new browser window so you don't lose your
place here
...click
them closed
when you're finished.
U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)/ Office of Water
http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/water.html
Excellent
material on water quality with a variety of pdf resource brochures
http://www.epa.state.il.us/water/conservation-2000/lake-notes/index.html
Lake
County Stormwater Management Commission
http://www.co.lake.il.us/smc/default.asp
Lake
County Health Department/Lakes Management Unit
http://www.co.lake.il.us/health/ehs/lakes.asp
WI-IL
Upper DesPlaines Ecosystem Partnership
http://www.upperdesplainesriver.org
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)
http://www.cmap.illinois.gov
Illinois
Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
http://dnr.state.il.us/
Illinois
Department of Natural Resources (DNR Critical Trends Assessment
Program
http://dnr.state.il.us/orep/ctap/
U.S.
Geological Survey Water Resources Division - Upper IL River
http://il.water.usgs.gov/nawqa/uirb/pubs/reports/FS-072-98/index.html
U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)/America's Wetlands
http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/wetlands/vital/toc.html
Center
for Watershed Protection
http://www.cwp.org/
EPA Water Resource Assessments
http://www.epa.state.il.us/water/water-quality/index.html
Who to Call if You Have Drainage Problems in Lake County
Plants
and Animals
Plant
uses and benefits
http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/corridors.html
Mostly
aquatic plants
http://www.epa.state.il.us/water/conservation-2000/lake-notes/shoreline-buffer-strips/plant-species.html
Illinois
Native Flora and Fauna
http://dnr.state.il.us/conservation/naturalheritage/index.htm
Purchasing
Native Plants and Seed
Illinois Native Plant Society link
http://www.ill-inps.org/
Illinois Native Plant Suppliers
http://www.co.lake.il.us/smc/bmp/NatPlantRes_1206.pdf
Chicago
Botanic Garden - Invasive Plants
http://www.chicagobotanic.org/research/invasive/
Aquatic
invasives
http://www.epa.gov/owow/invasive_species/
Grants
EPA
grants
http://cfpub.epa.gov/fedfund/program_list.cfm?key_num=50
Illinois
Department of Natural Resources (DNR)/Conservation 2000
http://dnr.state.il.us/orep/c2000/grants/default.asp
US Fish and Wildlife Service
http://www.fws.gov/grants/
Grants Available, NRCS Document 2006
http://www.co.lake.il.us/smc/planning/NRCSGrntsSmry._0206.pdf
Education
Fifteen
Things You Can Do to Make a Difference in Your Watershed
www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/earthday/earthday.html
Fema's Website and Flooding
www.fema.gov/hazard/flood/index.shtm
Build Your Own Rain Garden
www.appliedeco.com/Projects/Rain Garden.pdf
For
educating kids about water
www.nesc.wvu.edu/ndwc/ndwc_Kids_DWinfo.htm
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