October

9,

2008

John

Therriault,

Assistant

Clerk

CLERK’S

OFFICE

Illinois

Pollution

Control

Board

,_,I

(p

-

100 West

Randolph

Street, Suite

11-500

OCT

152008

Chicago,

Illinois 60601

STATE

OF

ILLINOIS

RE:

Rule Making

R08-009

Pollution

Control

Board

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

once-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,

Name:

William Walsh

Address:

135 N.

Charlotte

Street, Lombard,

IL, 60148

Telephone:

630-889-1882