Report Water Pollution in Illinois Waters

If you happen to be out walking, canoeing, or fishing and you see something that may be a case of illegal dumping or an unlawful discharge of water pollution, you should report the incident.

What do you report? Fish kills, discoloration in the water or an oily sheen on the water, illegal dumping in our waterways, or effluent coming from a pipe that smells or look strange.

When? Right away, but if you continue to observe the problem on an ongoing basis be sure to keep a record of the dates and time. If the problem goes unreported, it may never be solved.

Who do you call? Call the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for any violation, and make an additional call to the Department of Natural Resources in case of a fish kill.

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Emergency Response at 1-800-782-7860 or 217-782-3637, or you can mail them a Citizen Complaint Report at www.epa.state.il.us/pollution-complaint.

Department of Natural Resources Office of Law Enforcement (for conservation offenses such as a fish kill) at the toll-free telephone number, 1-877-2DNRLAW (1-877-236-7529).

Or you can contact us here at Prairie Rivers Network (info@prairierivers.org) 217-344-2371.

How? When reporting the incident, try to do the following----

1) Try to identify the source of pollution.

2) Get a picture of the source as well as a picture of any impact you notice in the stream such as a fish kill or water condition. Even if you cannot identify the source, it is still important to photograph any impacts you see in the stream.

3) Note the date, time and location. If you observe the incident more than once, note all dates and times.

4) Get names and numbers of anyone else who observed the incident.