December

21,

2008

EUVED

John

Thernault,

Assistant

Clerk

CLERK’S

OFFICE

Illinois

Pollution

Control

Board

IJEC

292008

100

West

Randolph

Street,

Suite

11-500

-

Chicago

Illinois

60601

FE

OF

ILLINOIS

Cofltro

Board

RE: Rule

Making

R08-009

Dear

Illinois

Pollution

Control

Board:

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 mie

making

R08-009.

These

changes

are

long

overdue

and

recommended

only

afier 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 person

who

lives

just

2 blocks

away

from the

river

and who

paddles

the Chicago

River

2-3

times

a

week

in

the

spring

and

summer,

I

think

it is

critical

that:

The Metropolitan Water

Reclamation

District

disinfect

sewage

treatment

plant effluent

to kill

bacteria

and

protect

public

health

and

o

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 flu

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,

Dani

Nichols

4211

N Francisco

Ave

Chicago,

IL 60618

773-279-0167