November

23,

2008

John

Therriault,

Assistant

Clerk

Illinois

Pollution

Control

Board

/

.S

100

West Randolph

Street, Suite

11-500

IVOfr

i

Chicago,

Illinois

60601

4

2Og

°ILjj*,

RE

Rule

Making

R08-009

-

COflp

0

j7,Oj

Dear

Illinois

Pollution

Control

Board:

On

behalf

of my

husband,

Fred Axley,

and

myself,

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

resident

of Wilmette

who

lives

close to

the

North

Branch

of the

Chicago

River

and uses

it

for recreation,

I

think

it

is critical

that:

•

The Metropolitan

Water

Reclamation

District

(MWRD)

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 MWRD

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.

The

monetary

costs

of disinfection

are, in a

relevant

sense,

over

time, not

really

very great.

Incurring

these

costs,

even

in this

economic

climate,

is the right

thing

to do.

There

is

no magic

bullet

and no

single

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.

Any

improvements

we make

to

the

Chicago

River

will

also

improve

the

water

quality

downstream

from

Chicago.

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.

Thanpyou,

Cinda

J.

Axley

112

Lawndale

Avenue

Wilmette,

IL 60091

caxleyl12comcast.net