Accomplishments in 2005

Prairie Rivers Network’s efforts are focused in three program areas: Clean Water, Habitat Protection, and River Stewardship and Awareness. Here are some of the highlights of our work:

Clean Water

  • Safer rivers for fishing and swimming – We challenged Illinois EPA’s practice of exempting wastewater discharges from disinfection, ensuring that rivers where kids play and people fish, are free of dangerous pathogens.

  • Preventing algae growth – After more than two years of effort, Illinois will become one of the first states in the Midwest to limit phosphorus pollution in its rivers, preventing the growth of algae that chokes aquatic life and poses health threats.

  • More oxygen for fish and aquatic life – We fought a proposal by polluters to decrease the amount of oxygen available in Illinois waters.

Habitat Protection

  • Cleaner air and water and protection for the Middle Fork – In a landmark settlement with Dynegy Midwest Generation, $500 million in new pollution controls will be installed on five Illinois power plants; precedent-setting mercury emissions controls will be installed on their Oakwood plant; and 1100 acres along the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River will be donated to the state, creating a protected corridor that stretches from Kickapoo State Park to the Middle Fork State Fish and Wildlife Area.

  • Balancing drainage with healthy habitat – We produced “A Citizen’s Guide to Illinois’ Agricultural Drainage Practices and Law”, promoting environmentally sensitive agricultural drainage maintenance.

  • Protecting rivers from dredges and dams – We discouraged projects that would fill and channelize rivers, winning an important victory with the Friends of Kickapoo Creek to prevent a dam that would have had serious impacts on the health of the creek.

River Stewardship and Awareness

  • Illinois Stream Team – Fourteen groups are now monitoring water quality in their local streams. Our goal is a Stream Team in every watershed.

  • Cleaner rivers, new advocates – Working with volunteers from the Vermilion and Sangamon rivers, two new annual clean-ups were started that drew hundreds of participants.

  • Reaching new volunteers – Our new e-newsletter now goes out once a month to river advocates around the state with tips for protecting water quality and a calendar of upcoming river related activities.

  • Storm drain patrol – Citizens from seven communities stenciled hundreds of neighborhood storm drains with the important message, “Dump No Waste – Drains to Rivers.”

Accomplishments: 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2000