Title
Committee report on the Des Plaines River Watershed Workgroup.
Staff Summary
· The County is participating in the formation of a new workgroup called the Des Plaines River Watershed Workgroup (DRWW).
· The DRWW is a voluntary, dues paying organization with a mission to bring together a diverse coalition of stakeholders to work together to improve water quality in the Des Plaines River and its tributaries in a cost effective manner to meet Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) requirements.
· Membership of the DRWW consists of communities, Publically Owned Treatment Works (POTWs), and other interested parties including agency members represented by NPDES permit holders, associate members which are non-permit holding organizations, and individual members.
· Agency members will be represented by four votes, associates by two votes, and individual members by one vote.
· The DRWW will monitor water quality in the river and tributaries, prioritize and implement water quality improvement projects, and secure grant funding to offset costs.
· Monitoring data will allow for a greater understanding of the water quality impairments, identify priority restoration activities, and track water quality improvements.
· The DRWW is committed to an approach for attaining water quality standards that focuses on stakeholder involvement, monitoring, and locally led decision-making based on sound science.
· Both point and non-point sources are permitted by the IEPA under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).
· IEPA has been calling for more stringent limits of phosphorus discharge from POTWs that would necessitate costly plant upgrades; DRWW’s method for improving water quality through prioritized project implementation based on monitoring will be more cost effective and efficient.
· The DRWW will be governed by bylaws, an elected executive board, and a voting, dues-paying membership.
· Dues are based on design average flow for POTW’s and areas...
Click here for full text