Title
Ordinance adopting the North Branch Chicago River Watershed Plan prepared by the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) as an Amendment to the Lake County Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan.
Staff Summary
• Once adopted, the North Branch Chicago River Watershed Management Plan will become an amendment to the Lake County Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan adopted by county ordinance in 1990 and updated in 2002.
• The North Branch Chicago River watershed includes portions of fourteen (14) municipalities, seven (7) townships, eight (8) county board districts and four (4) drainage districts in Lake County.
• The Plan was developed to provide a “blueprint” for reducing flood damages, improving water quality and protecting natural resources in the watershed. The Plan assists private citizens and local, State, and Federal governments to better manage the water resources of this watershed in a cost-effective and environmentally sound manner.
• The Plan was developed through a cooperative effort between the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission and representatives of North Branch watershed stakeholders. Numerous entities, ranging from homeowner’s associations to municipal governments and county agencies, attended regular meetings and provided input during the planning process.
• The required public hearing and 60-day comment period for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, adjoining counties and the general public has been met.
• The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission unanimously approved the North Branch Chicago Watershed Plan on September 4, 2008.
Body
Whereas, the County Board of Lake County adopted the Lake County Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan on June 11, 1990, and said plan recommended the development of comprehensive watershed management plans for each of Lake County’s twenty-six subwatersheds; and
Whereas, the Lake County Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan was updated in 2002 and adopted by the County Board of Lake County, and the update reiterated the priority of developing comprehensive watershed management plans for each of Lake County’s twenty-six subwatersheds; and
Whereas, the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission has been working to revise and update the comprehensive watershed plan for the North Branch Chicago River watershed (North Branch Chicago River Plan) in Lake County that was originally adopted in 2000; and
Whereas, the purpose of the North Branch Chicago River Plan is to identify opportunities for watershed communities to integrate multi-objective watershed management in land use and development activities; and
Whereas, a second purpose of the North Branch Chicago River Plan is to improve degraded conditions in the North Branch watershed by improving water quality, reducing flood damage, and protecting and enhancing natural resources by implementing best management practices and programs; and
Whereas, the adoption of the North Branch Chicago River Plan is necessary for the successful implementation of a series of individual site-specific projects and watershed-wide programmatic actions to: improve water quality, reduce flood damage potential, protect and enhance natural resources, provide watershed education and recreation opportunities, and improve community cooperation and participation in watershed improvement activities; and
Whereas, all public hearing and meeting requirements have been met in the preparation of the North Branch Chicago River Plan; and
Whereas, the required 60-day comment period for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, adjoining counties, and the general public has been met; and
Whereas, the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission unanimously approved the North Branch Chicago River Plan on September 4th, 2008.
Now, therefore, be it ordained, by the County Board of Lake County, Illinois, that the North Branch Chicago River Watershed Plan for Lake County, Illinois is hereby adopted as an Amendment to the Lake County Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan, the official countywide, stormwater management plan, in accordance with 55 ILCS 5/5-1062; and
Be it further ordained that a copy of the final North Branch Chicago River Plan will be sent to each municipality, drainage district, and township in the North Branch Chicago River watershed in Lake County.