Eric C. Yor dorf

2722 West

Fargo. venue

Chicago,

IL

60645-1316

Novemb

r

1 1,

2008

NOV

24200

STATE

OF

ILLINOIS

Pollution

Control

Board

John 1 bet

tarOt

Assi.

t

aat C

lerk

Illinois Polk tion

Control

Board

100 \est

Randolph

Sticet Suite

11-500

rteao, lii

ots

6061)1

RL

Rule

Making

R0$-009

0

Z

flea

llhnoi

Poliutior (out ol

Bt ard:

N

On

(dm11 o a d

“lv and F

rEnds ol the Chicago

Rise,, 1

am

a

ritir( to express my a

pert

0. the

rec oim ‘nded

water

qu rlity standard

improvements

proposed

by

the Illinois EPA

br the Cl iea4o

A ea

m sass

(C

\WS)and

Cower

Des

Plames

River as rule making

R08-009.

[hese

cna

ices

are

long

overdue and

recommended only after

five years of

study

on the C’A\4 S and

seven

on

Oi

Lowet I es Platoes.

We six

uld all support the Illinois

EPA’s

effort

and approve the

changes.

s

lilt

d

)t th Chicago

Riser and

a

paddler I

think that

t

is essential that

•

1 be

Metropolitan

Water

Reclamation District

disinfect sewage

treatment plant effluet

to kill

bacteria

and protect

public health and

•

I

em crature

and

dissolved oxygen

standards he

implemented to protect

ish

and help

them

(bun,

h.

Over he years

the entire

CAWS

system

has

changed dramatically.

‘Ihe

water,

once

full of

rasv

essage

and

industrial

111th, has

sastlx

improved

through

the

leadership

of

agencies

like

the

Metropolitan

Water

Re,lamation

District

and

its lunue

and

Reservoir

Plan.

Public access has increased

con;iderabl

as

keal

governments

incorporated

0 ese

rivers

into

their master

planning. I he

City

of Chicago,

the (‘I teage Park

fits ‘itt, and

suburbs

like Blue

Island and

Skokie

hate

poured

millions into

riser access for paddling,

tishiny arid

crest. 6nd so

much

work

has been

done

to

improve habitat

and

control

p

$lution lv

tin the

(‘hietpe

Riser system,

species 4 fish

have climbed

from

tinder

10 to netrly 70

including

me fish

favorites

like

large-tar uth bass

and bluegill and

yellov

perch.

Becau

c a

review

like

this

only

come along

even 20 years,

tight nosy

sve

ha e

a

once-in- t-generation

OPI

irtunits n

continue

our

momentum

by

supporting

the Illinois EPA

reeot mendati

sns

so

we

can make

I e

next quantum

leap

forsvard in

svater quality.

1 here

is no magic

bullet and

a’

all—in—one

measure

that can

eliminate ater pollution

hut w k

row

.hat

i

ste stain the C

hicago

Riser

to continue

to

improve

and

serse

our

communities

as

a

r ‘ereationrl natural

an

I

ecor

mic

rest urce,

dis’nfection

and the rest of

the

Illinois EPA’s

recommendtions

are

essential,

Ib’

icy

tbtt ss

u

icty P ts ut

r noral ohi atior

to

cnsurc thct

ac

‘york

0

aeheee

,he

lEt;he

peteatal

tor sI

ared r

sources

rc1udin

and especially water.

And as

stewards

of

these natural

resources

s

e

h

tile

not be e

kink

the

aitniniuni

in improvement,

but

tue

naximum.

I haak on,

-

I

/