Title
Ordinance adopting the Buffalo Creek Watershed Based Plan as an Amendment to the Lake County Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan.
Staff Summary
• Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) worked with multiple watershed stakeholders including; the Buffalo Creek Clean Water Partnership (BCCWP); nine municipalities; along with Lake and Cook County to develop the watershed-based plan.
• SMC held public meetings, a public hearing and a public review period for the draft watershed-based plan report.
• SMC adopted the Buffalo Creek Watershed Based Plan as an Amendment to the Lake County Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan on April 7, 2016.
Body
ORDINANCE
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 to include the Buffalo Creek Watershed Based Plan hereinafter referred to as “Watershed-Based Plan”; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of the Watershed-Based Plan is to improve degraded conditions in the Buffalo Creek watershed by improving water quality, reducing flood damage, and protecting and enhancing natural resources through implementing best management practices and programs and providing resources and information for watershed communities to integrate multi-objective watershed management in their decision making activities; and
WHEREAS, the adoption of the Watershed-Based 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 opportunities, and improve community cooperation and participation in watershed improvement activities; and
WHEREAS, all public hearing, meeting requirements, and a public comment period has been accomplished in the preparation of the Watershed-Based Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission approved the Buffalo Creek Watershed Plan on April 7, 2016;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED, by the County Board of Lake County, Illinois, that the Buffalo Creek Watershed Plan 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 Buffalo Creek Watershed Plan will be sent to each municipality and township in the Buffalo Creek Watershed.
DATED at Waukegan, Illinois, on this 14th Day of June, 2016.