October

9,

2008

cLPçs

P

Illinois

John

Therriault,

Pollution

Assistant

Control

Board

Clerk

Stq

OCT

17

2008

100

West

Randolph

Street,

Suite

11-500

\

\i’

c

NOi

8

Chicago

Illinois

60601

nLrol

8

oard

RE:

Rule

Making

R08-009

Dear

Illinois

Pollution

Control

Board:

On

behalf

of

my

family,

I

am

writing

to express

my

support

for the

recommended

water

quality

standard

improvements

proposed

by

the

Illinois

EPA

for

the

Chicago

Area

Waterways

(CAWS)

and Lower

Des

Plaines

River

as rule

making

R08-009.

These

changes

are

long

overdue

and

recommended

only

after

five years

of

study

on the

CAWS

and

seven

on

the

Lower

Des

Plaines.

We

should

all

support

the

Illinois

EPA’s

effort

and

approve

the

changes.

As

a recreational

user

of

the

Chicago

River,

I think

it

is

critical

that:

•

The

Metropolitan

Water

Reclamation

District

disinfect

sewage

treatment

plant

effluent

to

kill

bacteria

and

protect

public

health

and

•

Temperature

and

dissolved

oxygen

standards

be implemented

to protect

fish

and

help

them

flourish.

Over

the

years,

the

entire

CAWS

system

has

changed

dramatically.

The

water,

once

full of

raw

sewage

and

industrial

filth,

has vastly

improved

through

the

leadership

of agencies

like

the

Metropolitan

Water

Reclamation

District

and its

Tunnel

and

Reservoir

Plan.

Public

access

has

increased

considerably

as local

governments

incorporated

these

rivers

into

their

master

planning.

The

City

of

Chicago,

the

Chicago

Park

District,

and

suburbs

like

Blue

Island

and

Skokie

have

poured

millions

into river

access

for paddling,

fishing,

and crew.

And so

much

work

has

been

done

to

improve

habitat

and

control

pollution

that

in the

Chicago

River

system,

species

of

fish

have

climbed

from

under

10

to nearly

70,

including

game

fish

favorites

like

large-mouth

bass

and

bluegill

and

yellow

perch.

Because

a review

like

this

only

comes

along

every

20 years,

right

now

we

have

a oi-ice-in-a-generation

opportunity

to

continue

our

momentum

by

supporting

the

Illinois

EPA

recommendations

so we

can

make

the

next

quantum

leap

forward

in

water

quality.

There

is no

magic

bullet

and

or

all-in-one

measure

that

can

eliminate

water

pollution

but

we know

that if

we

want

the

Chicago

River

to

continue

to

improve

and

serve

our

communities

as

a

recreational,

natural

and

economic

resource,

disinfection

and

the

rest

of

the

Illinois

EPA’s

recommendations are

essential.

I

believe

that as

a

society

it

is

our

moral

obligation

to

ensure

that we

work

to achieve

the

highest

potential

for

shared

resources,

including

and

especially

water.

And

as stewards

of

these

natural

resources,

we

should

not

be

seeking

the

minimum

in improvement,

but

the maximum.

Thank

you,

55Lt

C

1

o-3i

Name:

,.

o

tu

Address:

j3t

‘j

A9

I

I

Telephone:

L