News Releases - 2002

Pleasant Plains School District Students Help Celebrate "Year of Clean Water" - Join IEPA Director Cipriano In Water Sampling

Springfield, Ill. -- Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director Renee Cipriano joined Pleasant Plains School District students today in sampling water quality at the district's Prairie Creek Environmental Habitat.

They joined others across the nation in a "Year of Clean Water National Monitoring Day" to recognize the 30th anniversary of the landmark federal Clean Water Act.

"Although Illinois has a century-long history of water protection programs, the Clean Water Act has provided additional valuable tools to safeguard that vital resource," said Director Cipriano.

"The involvement of young people such as the students at Pleasant Plains is vital to our future efforts to protect and conserve our water resources," said Director Cipriano.

Besides taking samples from Prairie Creek, today's events included demonstration of water sampling equipment by Illinois EPA and the U.S. Geological Survey, and demonstrations, talks and games, using an Enviroscape, Illinois EPA's Water Wheel game and other activities for 3rd through 6th graders.

The Pleasant Plains School District began developing the Environmental Habitat in 1999 with support from Governor Ryan's Illinois FIRST program. It is used by the District for environmental education purposes and includes a food plot, a woodland site, a prairie site and a wetland site.

The purpose of the National Monitoring Day is to take a snapshot view of streams, lakes and coastal waters throughout the U.S. that can be used as a baseline for future assessments.

Governor Ryan earlier proclaimed October as "Clean Water Month" in Illinois. He noted in his proclamation that since enactment of the Clean Water Act "the number of assessed Illinois river and stream miles rated in good condition has risen from 34.7 percent to 62.5 percent" and "inland Illinois lake acres rated poor have declined from 27.8 percent in 1972 to 2.6 percent in the year 2000, with approximately 97 percent now rated as fair or good."