—

November

12, 2009

I

2L’jc.

John

Themault,

Assistant

Clerk

L(J

Ilimois

Pollution

Control

Board

0IIUtu,r

c

ILLINois

100

West

Randolph

Street, Suite

11-500

5 1

°fltroi

Chicago,

Illinois

60601

tt—

RE:

Rule

Making

RO8-009

Dear Illinois

Pollution

Control Board:

On behalf

of responsible

citizens

in South Elgm,

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

concerned

member

of

this community,

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

govermuents

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,

Jean

Panichi

721

W

Thornwood

Dr

South Elgin,

Ii

60177