December 2, 2008
    John
    IllinoisTherriault,Pollution
    Assistant
    Control BoardClerk
    DEC
    092008
    100 West Randolph Street,
    Suite 11-500
    STATE
    OF
    ILLINOIS
    Chicago, Illinois 60601
    oUution
    Contro
    Board
    RE: Rule Making R08-009
    Dear Illinois Pollution Control Board:
    On behalf of Arapahoe Outdoors LC, 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 avid outdoors person, resident
    living near the river and a believer that Chicago is one of the greatest
    cities in existence to
    neglect an assist as important as our waterways, 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,
    Nick
    Behr
    1451 N. Ashland Ave.
    #4S, Chicago, IL 60622
    563-451-4546

    Back to top