Spring Brook #1

Watershed Plan

October 7, 2014

Stakeholders Group Meeting

Spring Brook #1

Watershed

Warrenville

Wheaton

Glen Ellyn

Catchment Boundaries

2003 Land Use

Cross sections along the stream define the channel

Hydraulic

Structures

FEQ Schematic

Economic Structure Survey

First Floor Elevation

Low Entry Elevation

Example output from the economic model

Number of

Properties Subject to

Flood Damage

Number of

Structures Meeting

Buyout Criteria

Estimated

Cumulative

Damages

Residential Areas 38 9 $1,190,000

Non-Residential

Areas 8 3

Total 46 12

Project Alternatives

Spring Brook Watershed

• Tributary to the West

Branch DuPage River

• Measures 7.66 square

miles (4,900 acres)

• Receives stormwater

discharge from downtown

Wheaton

• Open channel for

approximately 5.7 miles

• Over 25% impervious

surface

Historic Watershed Planning

in DuPage County

• DuPage County Stormwater Management Plan (September 1989) – Update flood plain maps

– Recommend improvement projects to alleviate flooding problems

– Identify significant natural areas, including wetlands

– Incorporate developed watershed plans as part of an appendix to the DCSMP

Revised Plan Model

• For the Spring Brook watershed, structural alternatives for large scale flood control facilities are unlikely due to limited land availability – Ideal candidate for green infrastructure recommendations to detain and

infiltrate stomwater close to the source

• More stringent water quality based regulations make

planning on a watershed scale necessary

• Availability of financial assistance

dependent on inclusion of Nine

Minimum Elements into plans

Funding

• Illinois EPA’s Section 319(h) Nonpoint Source

Pollution Control Financial Assistance Program • Designed to provide grant funds for projects that prevent, eliminate,

or reduce water quality impairments caused by Non-Point Source

(NPS) pollution

• Projects that implement components of an approved Watershed-

Based Plan will receive priority for funding

§319 Grants: Aimed at

Reducing NPS Pollution • Priority projects:

• Quantifying water quality improvements,

• Estimating or modeling pollutant load reductions associated with

innovative demonstration projects or

• Programs, or documenting social results, “such as increased

awareness and knowledge or changes in behavior resulting from

educational efforts that lead to improved water quality”

• Types of approved BMPs include: • Stream channel and bioengineered bank stabilization

• Meandering a channelized stream

• Levee removal or modification

• In-stream habitat restoration

• Reconnecting stream to floodplain

Why Protect Waterways?

• The Clean Water Act set a national goal

“to restore and maintain the chemical,

physical, and biological integrity of the

Nation’s waters” • Interim goals that all waters be

fishable and swimmable, where

possible

• Projects focusing on water quality

typically: • Capture or assimilate pollutant loads

• Reduce water volume through infiltration or

evapotranspiration

• Improve aquatic conditions for fish and the insects

that fish eat

Stakeholder Recruitment

• Kickoff event at the Urban Stream Research Center – Blackwell Forest Preserve

– August 2, 2014

• Publicized to a wide audience – Municipal outreach

– Press release, email blast, newsletter, website

– Direct mailing to major landowners in the watershed and residents within 500 feet of stream

• Online survey to gage current watershed conditions – 68 respondents

• Holding individual meetings with major stakeholders/landowners

• First Spring Brook Watershed Group meeting – October 7, 2014

Watershed Impairments

• IL_GBKA – Aquatic Life Use

• Chloride

• Dissolved Oxygen

• Phosphorus (Total)

– Primary Contact Recreation Use

• Fecal Coliform

• IL_GBKA-01 – Aquatic Life Use

• Copper

• Phosphorus (Total)

– Primary Contact Recreation Use

• Fecal Coliform

Watershed Impairments

• Station WB11 – Stressor

• Ammonia and TKN

• Lack of pool and riffle

• Poor substrate and riparian corridor

– Project Description

• Habitat restoration to increase stream assimilative capacity

• Station WB10 – Stressor

• Ammonia

– Project Description

• Stormwater treatment to reduce organic load and metals

Assessing Aquatic Life Use

Attainment in Streams

No Impairment Moderate

Impairment Severe Impairment

Biological

Indicator

Fully Supporting

Aquatic Life Use (Good Resource Quality)

Not Supporting

Aquatic Life Use (Fair Resource Quality)

Not Supporting

Aquatic Life Use (Poor Resource Quality)

Fish Index of

Biotic Integrity

(fIBI)

fIBI > 41 fIBI

< 41 and > 20 fIBI < 20

Macroinvertebrate

Index of Biotic

Integrity (mIBI)

mIBI > 41.8 mIBI

< 41.8 and > 20.9 mIBI < 20.9

Assessing Aquatic Life Use

Attainment in Streams

No Impairment Moderate

Impairment Severe Impairment

Biological

Indicator

Fully Supporting

Aquatic Life Use (Good Resource Quality)

Not Supporting

Aquatic Life Use (Fair Resource Quality)

Not Supporting

Aquatic Life Use (Poor Resource Quality)

Fish Index of

Biotic Integrity

(fIBI)

fIBI > 41 fIBI

< 41 and > 20 fIBI < 20

Macroinvertebrate

Index of Biotic

Integrity (mIBI)

mIBI > 41.8 mIBI

< 41.8 and > 20.9 mIBI < 20.9

19.5

14.26

Project and Best Management

Practice Development

• Describe the nonpoint source management measures

that will need to be implemented to achieve load

reductions.

• Estimate the load reductions expected from

management measures.

Submit Ideas!

• Both short term and long term plans: • Municipal infrastructure

• Downtown redevelopment

• Roadway and transportation corridors

• Streambank stabilization

• Policies and training programs that

reduce pollutants: • Litter control practices

• Reforestation programs

• Riparian buffer enhancement policies

• Native plant ordinances

Redevelopment of

Downtown Areas • Reduction of

impervious surfaces – Permeable parking areas

– Depressed parking

islands

• Vegetating street

corridors – Tree boxes

– Rain gardens in curb

bumpouts

• Reevaluate zoning

requirements

Chloride Controls • Implemented deicing improvements by DuPage County

Division of Transportation, Milton and Winfield

Townships, and other entities

• Anti-icing: Proactive snow and ice control strategy where

a small amount of liquid chemical is applied to pavement

between a storm to prevent ice from bonding with the

surface – Reduction attributed to anti-icing is 15%

• Pre-wetting: Strategy of applying a liquid deicing

chemical to a dry solid before or during its application to

the pavement – Reduction attributed to pre-wetting is 25%

Nutrient Management:

Recreational & Residential Areas

• Explore

opportunities to

enhance: – Nutrient Management

Plans for golf courses

and parks

– Landscaping practices

at HOA common areas

– Native vegetation and

buffers at private

residences

Streambank Stabilization &

Channel Enhancement • Minimize mass wasting of

streambanks

• Reduce wildlife presence and need

for fertilizer along banks

• Provide shade

• Increase habitat for aquatic life

St. James Farm Forest

Preserve Restoration

Practices for Leaf Pickup

& Street Sweeping

• Greatest percentage of phosphorus

originating from organic detritus

(leaves) and lawn clippings – Up to 55% reductions through implementation

of fall leaf collection programs

• Significant percentage of copper in

stormwater runoff comes from parking

lots and streets – Used in automobile break pads

– Estimate 8-30% reduction of phosphorus

loads, as well

Planning for Project

Implementation

• Estimate of the amounts of technical and financial

assistance needed, associated costs, and/or the sources

and authorities that will be relied upon to implement the

plan.

• Develop a schedule for implementing the nonpoint

source management measures identified in the plan that

is reasonably expeditious.

Milestones and Criteria

Development

• Describe the interim measurable milestones for

determining whether nonpoint source management

measures or other control actions are being

implemented.

• Establish a set of criteria that can be used to determine

whether loading reductions are being achieved over time

and substantial progress is being made toward attaining

water quality standards.

Monitoring Efforts

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation efforts

over time, measured against the criteria established.