Welcome to the Illinois Office of Water Resources

CURRENT EVENTS A Stratton Lock & Dam Project Public Meeting took place Monday, April 16 at 6 pm. in the Conference Center at McHenry Co College, 8900 US Hwy 14, Crystal Lake. The Stratton lock, constructed in 1960 at Stratton Dam, does not have the capacity to meet the current peak demand. The sluice gates constructed in 1939 have reached the end of their useful life. March 31, The Vermilion River near Oglesby was declared open for rafting after two years of closure following safety modifications to the low head dam there. Director Marc Miller and State Rep. Frank Mautino attended the ceremony. The DNR Office of Water Resources and Teng & Associates (now ESP, Inc.) has been selected to receive a prestigious Grand Award in the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) 2012 Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) competition for the project "Yorkville Dam Safety Improvements & Bypass Channel". Teng & Associates was IDNR's principal consulting design engineer for the project. The Marge Cline Whitewater Course at Yorkville is now open to the public free of charge; however, temporary closures may occur due to pending Phase 3 pedestrian bridge construction across the course yet this year, and as yet unscheduled necessary repairs. Contact the city of Yorkville for information related to course closures. Target Hunger Now! works with sportsmen and meat processors to provide donated venison, and fish from commercial fishermen and processors to the Illinois food bank network to put healthy meals on the tables of struggling Illinois families. Stratton Lock and Dam reopened May 1. Every year, the IDNR lowers the water level by 18 inches in anticipation of rising water from the large snow melts and rains of spring and is used to reduce the possibility of ice jams flooding. The annual winter drawdown traditionally takes place from Nov. 1 to Dec. 1 gradually over a month to prevent erosion.

SAFETY AT DAMS Governor Pat Quinn, then Lieutenant Governor, launched the Illinois Dam Safety Initiative in June 2006 to educate the public about dam safety, and propose much needed changes to make our waterways safer. Since then, progress has been made on safety measures, including the passage of legislation calling for standards of signs, buoys and other ways to communicate risks to the public about the dams on public waterways. The Office is engaged in studying, renovating or removing unsafe dams such as the Glen Palmer Dam at Yorkville, IL and the Vermilion Cement Plant Dam at Oglesby. Sediment Sampling is complete at Danville Dam and analysis under way. 100% of plans and specs are complete for Hofmann Dam.

ASIAN CARP The current project consists of two electric barriers on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Romeoville, IL. Barrier I became operational in 2002, and was upgraded in 2008. Barrier II was completed in December 2010. Barriers IIA and IIB are located immediately downstream of Barrier I, and are significantly larger and more powerful than Barrier I. Target Hunger Now! works with sportsmen and meat processors to provide donated venison, and fish from commercial fishermen and processors to the Illinois food bank network to put healthy meals on the tables of struggling Illinois families. July 13, 2010 : “Protecting the Great Lakes is vital to millions of people from Illinois and throughout the Midwest who rely on these waterways for their livelihoods,” said Governor Quinn. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, in conjunction with the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC), has established a Framework intended to keep Asian carp from establishing populations in the Great Lakes. These measures include: Operations to reduce propagule pressure on barriers, Increased fish collection efforts and population suppression, Evaluation of current suppression tools, as well as future fish suppression activities, Emergency measures to prevent bypass of fish between the Des Plaines River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, as well as between the Illinois & Michigan Canal and the CSSC during flood events, Increased biological control efforts, and Construction of a third electric barrier. To learn more about the efforts of the ACRCC, visit www.asiancarp.us.

PERMITS & FLOODPLAINS The Office issues permits for work in and along the rivers, lakes and streams of the state, including Lake Michigan, for activities in and along the public waters, and for the construction and maintenance of dams. The Office also provides assistance to help local officials with floodplain management needs. This includes administration of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), working with FEMA to prepare floodplain maps, and coordinating flood mitigation and flood protection programs. View the status of a permit application, or download an application package. Obtain assistance from the Office Water Resources on the NFIP, local floodplain ordinances or mitigation programs.

FLOODING The Office assesses risks to critical infrastructure, such as levees and dams, using a variety of flood Surveillance information and informs the IEMA emergency response team on river forecasts. In April and May of 2011, extensive rain caused flooding in many Illinois counties along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. The City of Cairo became endangered, leading to the flooding of Bird's Point Levee in Missouri. On May 10, 2011 Governor Quinn declared 21 counties State Disaster Areas. President Obama declared 14 Illinois Counties Federal Disaster areas. Alexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hardin, Jackson, Lawrence, Massac, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, White and Williamson counties. Federal assistance has been approved for local governments in Marion, Jefferson, Washington, and Wayne Counties and 17 others in Southern Illinois. State and local governments in the 21 counties estimated costs at more than 20-million dollars. Current Flooding Map River Stage Websites 2011 May Flooding

STRATTON LOCK AND DAM William G. Stratton Lock and Dam in McHenry resumed full-time daily operations for the 2011 boating season on May 1. IDNR lock tenders will operate the lock seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to midnight until September 30. Renovation of the aging Locks and flood gates is the subject of several public meetings. Built in 1907 and turned over to IDNR in 1923 when it was only a spillway dam, the locks were added in 1939 and help control boating traffic and water levels to reduce flooding.

CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS The Multi-Purpose Dam Project - Phase 2 - Canoe and Fish Bypass Channel at the Glen Palmer Dam in Yorkville is still under construction. The phase 2 contractor is to complete construction by September 30, 2011. The Phase 3 Contractor will be building a single span pedestrian bridge allowing access to the divider island with a completion date set for December 30, 2011. Yorkville Bypass Video. Bluffs Flood Control - construction expected over the summer, Wolf Run Improvements (Phase 1) includes channel clearing of woody growth, brush, and debris between Illinois Route 100 and Rockwood Street, and clearing of woody growth, brush, and debris only along the right half of the channel Wolf Run between Rockwood Street and Naples Lane. Crystal Creek Phase II - construction continuing, Phase IIA channel improvement from the west edge of Schiller Park railroad yard upstream to the State Tollway Authority incorporating environmental design features. Construction began in summer 2010 with a scheduled completion date of Dec 2012. Phase IIB - channel improvements on Sister Stream and Sexton Ditch. Project scheduled to be on a winter 2012 bid letting. Fox Waterway Agency - Coopers Farm sedimentation drying site located between Grass Lake and Lake Marie in the Fox Chain O’ Lakes is under construction. Mattoon detention basin, located between 14th St and Old State Rd on the south side of Mattoon to help alleviate flooding, is under construction. Rand Park Flood Control consists of a 100-year frequency protected floodwall, earthen levees, closure structures, and interior drainage facilities. Phase I and Phase II complete; Phase III 99% complete. Yorkville Dam Phase III - Single span pedestrian bridge allowing access to the divider island with a completion date set for December 30, 2011. Vermilion River Dam, Danville - partial or full removal of the Danville Dam on the Vermilion River. Vermilion River Dam, Buzzi Unicem USA - Construction is complete, and State constructed signage and warning devices have been installed.

BROWSE OUR PUBLICATIONS & GIS SITE The Office produces engineering reports, guides for floodproofing and floodplain management, as well as GIS products. The Office's GIS products include maps of the State and Flood related mapping when needed. The 2010 Lake Michigan Water Allocation Water Rate Surveys are now available online. An IDNR app for the iPhone is under development but other useful Apps and resources can be found online.

ABOUT THE OFFICE First formed in 1823, the Office of Water Resources has a long history beginning with flood control and navigation issues that later grew to include regulation of streams and rivers, locks and dams, construction issues, water conservation, the National Flood Insurance Program and more. The primary capital activity of the office is in the area of urban flood damage reduction. The office assists units of local government with urban flood damage reduction projects through planning, design, construction, and financial assistance. The urban program also features the acquisition of flood prone homes and businesses. The Division of Resource Management administers regulatory programs over construction in the floodways of rivers, lakes, and streams; construction in the shorewaters of Lake Michigan; construction and operation of dams; construction in public bodies of water; diversion of water from Lake Michigan; and withdrawal of water from Lake Shelbyville, Carlyle Lake, and Rend Lake. Resource Management inspects dams, gives permits, coordinates the National Flood Insurance Program and regulates floodplains.

CONTACT US & FOLLOW US ON THE INTERNET Send us your questions, comments, flooding pictures and videos. We will try to respond in a timely manner whenever possible! The IDNR Facebook page and YouTube Channel. Follow @IllinoisDNR and @IllinoisDNROWR on Twitter. Email or Phone us.