The
Dead River watershed encompasses approximately 18.6
square miles that drain into Lake Michigan by way of
Illinois Beach State Park in Lake County, Illinois.
This watershed drains the predominantly urban and suburban
areas of Zion, Beach Park, and Waukegan and includes
the Bull Creek and Glen Flora tributaries, which form
a system of ravines that flow into the Dead River -
a complex of small lakes, wetlands, and slow moving
channels - in Illinois Beach State Park.
Approximately 60% of the land in the Dead River watershed
is developed. An increase in urban development in the
watershed over the last several decades has added stress
to the natural drainage system provided by Bull Creek
and the Glen Flora Tributary. As the watershed has been
developed Bull Creek has become extremely incised and
eroded throughout its downstream reaches because of
the additional volume and velocity of stormwater that
has been discharged to the channel.
Stormwater draining from the cities of the watershed
carries pollutants ranging from salt and motor oil to
lawn pesticides and fertilizers. The erosion of the
Bull Creek channel has resulted in significant debris
accumulation, has exposed a sanitary sewer line, and
has resulted in sediment and pollutants being transported
into the high quality wetlands of Illinois Beach State
Park, damaging wildlife habitat and threatening rare
and endangered species.
Severe
erosion and heavy debris
characterize the downstream reach of Bull Creek.
Credit: BCSA
In
1999 a group of concerned landowners, who had witnessed
years of unchecked erosion in Bull Creek, came together
to form the Bull Creek Stakeholders Association (BCSA).
The group’s mission is to protect and enhance the water
resources of the Dead River Watershed in an environmentally
responsible and economically efficient manner, while
respecting the interests of stakeholders throughout
the watershed. BCSA set out to fulfill this mission
through projects and activities that emphasize public
awareness, landowner education, coordination among all
stakeholder jurisdictions, and cooperative planning
and restoration.
A first step to addressing Bull Creek degradation was
to develop a stream restoration plan for the downstream
reach of the creek. This plan calls for restoring the
stability of the creek channel and riparian corridor
using biotechnical erosion control practices. In order
to implement the restoration plan in a holistic manner,
multiple landowners along the stream needed to work
together. To this end, BCSA set out to obtain conservation
easements from property owners along the banks of Bull
Creek.
BCSA went about acquiring
the conservation easements by conducting a series of
informational meetings to inform the landowners about
what is involved in the process. They also sent out
individual packages to each affected landowner and met
with landowners one on one to describe the process.
With the assistance of funds from a GLAHNF grant, BCSA
began distributing door-to-door flyers, sending out
press releases, and mailing letters to riparian landowners,
local officials, and other identified stakeholders to
assist with obtaining the easements.
While the process of obtaining
the easements from the landowners was still underway,
BCSA hired a local land surveyor to properly document
the region; thus making it possible to identify the
specific area that BCSA was working to study and monitor
for improvements. The surveyor plotted and produced
a map of the area as well as individual descriptions
detailing where the desired easement area would be on
each parcel.
Culverts
under Union Pacific RR at
downstream end of project reach where
Bull Creek enters the high quality natural
areas in Illinois Beach State Park. Credit: BCSA
BCSA
had a preferred width of 50 feet from the centerline
of the ravine and a minimum width of 35 feet from the
centerline of the ravine. The group was successful at
obtaining the preferred width for the majority of the
project area. This survey later served as documentation
when the easements were legally recorded at our county
courthouse. In all, ten parcels had easements recorded.
The project was a great
success in educating the public on the degradation of
their watershed. With few exceptions, landowners were
very supportive and excited about the prospect of restoring
and improving the water resources in their watershed,
and they were eager to jump on board. Only the newcomers
to the area, five years or less, saw less of a need
to proceed as they had not witnessed the mass property
losses over the years. Through educational programs
BCSA, which was initially composed of approximately
10 people, grew to over 80 members.
Baseline data was collected
prior to any construction activity allowing us to monitor
stream restoration progress. With funding support from
several grant sources, restoration has begun with vegetation
management, mostly the removal of non-native and invasive
species, and the installation of four artificial riffles
as grade control structures. Now that the BCSA has the
easements legally established and recorded, the local
Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) has secured funding
to continue restoration. Work is scheduled for winter
2003-2004 to install additional environmentally sound
stormwater control structures, excavate floodplain terraces,
and re-vegetate the area with native plants.
SMC has also received funding
to conduct a comprehensive study of the Dead River watershed
that will identify corrective procedures to address
broad stream health issues. While there is much work
left to be accomplished, BCSA knows that we are maintaining
the integrity of our watershed for future generations.
Bull
Creek Stakeholders Association
Joseph Hughes
9797 Paxton Drive, Bach Park, IL 60099
(847) 872-4943
Email: Bullcreek4@comcast.net
