August

30,

2009

ED

John

Therriault.

Assistant

Clerk

082009

Illinois

Pollution

Control

Board

100

West Randolph

Street, Suite

11-500

poll

ST

1:

OF

‘1_LJNO,

3

Chicago,

Illinois

60601

11

IOn

Cont,

01

8

oard

RE:

Rule Making

R08-009

Dear

Illinois

Pollution

Contrbl

Board:

Oii behalf

of the Eckhouse

Hutnick

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

our

family lives

next

to the North

brahch

of the

Chicago

River,

I think

it is

critical that:

o

The

Mettopolitai

Water

Reclamation

District

disiiifect

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

toly

70, including

game

fish

favorites

like large-mouth

bass

and

bluegill

and yellow

perch.

Because

a

review

like

this only

comes

along

eveiy

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

lii

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

Iffinois

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,

2

-Ai

Felice

Eckhoüse

5129

N.

Troy

Chicago,

IL

60625

773-583-6636