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Environmental Progress - Fall 2003

IEPA Joins World Water Monitoring Event

Chicago Botanic Garden promoted awareness of importance of water

Aquatic "weed whacker"

Robbi Savage, president of America's Clean Water Foundation, prepares to operate an aquatic "weed whacker" at the Chicago Botanic garden during World Water Monitoring Day in October. Providing encouragement are, at left, Marcia Willhite, chief of the IEPA's Bureau of Water; Bob Kirschner, aquatic director at the Botanic Garden, and at the right, Gregg Good, manager of the Bureau's surface water section.

Students checking sampling results

Students ignore brisk fall winds as they check results on water samples they tested as part of World Water Monitoring day in October as part of the event at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Officials of the Illinois EPA and America's Clean Water Foundation joined Carpentersville high school students Oct. 16 at the Chicago Botanic Garden literally to test the waters. With local and national dignitaries and elected officials, they also had a chance to try their hands operating the Garden's aquatic plant harvester, and check out some of the recent shoreline restoration efforts at the world-famed Garden.

The event was part of World Water Monitoring Day, being observed on Oct. 18 in connection with adoption of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) on Oct. 18, 1972. World Water Monitoring Day is an outgrowth of nationwide efforts conducted last year as part of the Year of Clean Water.

The IEPA took an active role in that event as well, sponsoring a central Illinois high school team's participation in Washington, D.C., area events, and encouraging local groups to register sites online, do simple sampling operations, then submit results online to generate a "snapshot" of water quality nationwide. The Oct. 16 event expanded on the 2002 observance, enrolling volunteers worldwide to take samples and submit data to provide at least a rudimentary indication of water quality around the globe. Australia, the United Kingdom, Korea, Canada, Portugal, India, Egypt, Israel, Turkmenistan, Brazil, and Taiwan were among national groups indicating they intended to participate.

Gary Swick, science teacher at Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville, and a group of his students participated in the water sampling at the Botanic Garden.