w State Finalizes Historic "Clean Water Action Plan" Watershed Assessment, Restoration Proposals
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News Releases - 1998

State Finalizes Historic "Clean Water Action Plan" Watershed Assessment, Restoration Proposals

For Immediate Release
Oct. 30, 1998		 Illinois EPA contact: Joan Muraro
217-785-7209
TDD (hearing impaired) 217-782-9143
NRCS contact: Paige Buck
217-398-5273

Springfield, Ill. -- The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service have completed assessments and final watershed restoration priorities mandated under a unique federal strategy to restore and protect water quality nationwide.

The national Clean Water Action Plan was announced last year on the 25th anniversary of the federal Clean Water Act. It calls on states to more effectively utilize cooperative efforts already in place to achieve its goals rather than creating new activities that would compete with existing processes. Developed by U.S. EPA and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, the Clean Water Action Plan focuses on watersheds with the most critical water quality problems and takes a cooperative approach to developing and implementing effective strategies to solve those problems. States were required to complete the process by Oct. 1, 1998. A draft plan was circulated in August to solicit public input which was incorporated into the final document.

Major goals of the action plan are:

  • increased protection from public health threats posed by water pollution;

  • more effective control of polluted runoff; and

  • promotion of water quality protection on a watershed basis.

The initial focus will be on:

  • watersheds not meeting, or facing imminent threat of not meeting, clean water or other natural resource goals;

  • watersheds meeting the goals but needing action to sustain water quality;

  • watersheds with pristine/sensitive aquatic system conditions on either federal, state or tribal land; and

  • watersheds where sufficient information does not currently exist to permit accurate assessment.

Restoration strategies will be developed in 1999 to allow the state to secure a share of new resources being requested through the President=s fiscal year 1999 Clean Water and Watershed Restoration Budget Initiative.

Unified watershed assessments are expected to help focus efforts for water quality protection with greater efficiency and equity, highlight geographic areas where multiple problems exist, identify cross-watershed pollution issues and provide a basis for federal and local programs with common objectives to work together. The general public, local interest groups and non-traditional organizations will be encouraged to participate in the overall process which seeks to make information more understandable by the public.

To obtain a copy of the Illinois Unified Watershed Assessment and Watershed Restoration Priorities for Illinois, contact Illinois EPA at 217-782-3362 or NRCS at 217-398-5273. The information will also be made available on the homepages of IEPA at www.epa.state.il.us or NRCS at www.il.nrcs.usda.govExit.

Questions concerning the assessment should be directed to Illinois EPA care of Gary Eicken at 217-782-3362.

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