Illinois NLRS Program and Project Narratives

The Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission has an active role in the development of watershed-based plans in southern Illinois. Two watershed-based plans were completed during the reporting period: Western Crab Orchard Creek watershed, a collection of three HUC 12 watersheds encompassing Carbondale and Makanda, and Kinkaid Creek watershed, a HUC 10 watershed containing Kinkaid Lake. For more information, see GreaterEgypt.org/watershed-based-planning.

Kinkaid Creek Watershed

Beginning in the latter part of 2019, the Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission (Greater Egypt) was contracted by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to develop a watershed-based plan for the Kinkaid Creek Watershed (0714010611) under Clean Water Act Section 604(b) funding.

The Kinkaid Creek watershed encompasses nearly 41,225 acres, or roughly sixty-four square miles, and is in Jackson County, Illinois. It is part of the larger Big Muddy River watershed. The only municipality in the planning area is a small portion of the Village of Ava.

One waterbody in the watershed has been placed on the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s 303(d) List of Impaired Waters. This list comprises waterbodies that do not meet water quality standards. Kinkaid Lake (IL_RNC) has been placed on the list for impairments from mercury. The impaired designated use for mercury is fish consumption.

Following the submission of the Kinkaid Creek Watershed Inventory and Assessment, an initial stakeholder meeting was held in 2020 to gain awareness of planning efforts and to garner membership for the Kinkaid Creek Watershed Planning Committee. The group convened on a quarterly basis and provided guidance throughout the plan. This included discussing existing knowledge of the watershed and suggesting best management practices (BMP) for the plan. The success of the plan relies heavily on the continuation of public involvement. This includes overseeing the implementation of the plan and monitoring progress.

Land use in the watershed is represented by large areas of agriculture and forest. Forested areas in the watershed compose over sixty percent of the total land cover (25,300 acres). Pasture/Hay represents 17.6 percent of the land area (7,260 acres) while Cultivated Crops make up nearly ten percent at 4,050 acres. Open water in the watershed comprises six percent of the land area (2,500 acres).

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While impervious surfaces in the watershed are low, the Ava and marina areas constitute the largest portion of the watershed’s impervious network. The watershed exhibits around four percent of imperviousness features (10 % or more impervious surface).

The Spreadsheet Tool for Estimating Pollutant Loads (STEPL) was utilized to generate existing pollutant loads for the Kinkaid Creek watershed and its subwatersheds. While the program produces general estimates, the baseline data was generated from multiple factors including land use, climatic indicators, agriculture, septic rates, urban runoff, and streambank erosion using lateral recession rates. In the Kinkaid Creek Watershed, estimated pollutant loads are influenced heavily by agricultural areas.

Pollutant load reduction targets were also generated for major pollutants. A reduction of nitrogen at fifteen percent, phosphorus at twenty-five percent, and sediment reduction of twenty-five percent were calculated for the plan. Target goals are consistent with the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (ILNLRS).  

To achieve the target goals, BMPs were suggested regarding the major nutrient contributor in the watershed, agricultural practices. While the plan addresses watershed-wide practices, site-specific BMPs have also been established to manage agricultural pollutants and other impairments on a localized level.

These management efforts confront the impairments of the various waterbodies in the Kinkaid Creek watershed. Some of the measures include streambank stabilization, agricultural filter strips, and grassed waterways. They have also been categorized by priority based on feasibility, cost, and pollutant load reductions.

The plan incorporates the nine minimum elements required of a watershed-based plan. These elements include: a characterization of the watershed through a resource inventory and assessment to identify nonpoint source pollution, identification of management measures to address those pollutants, identification of funding and technical assistance, an educational component, and a monitoring and evaluation component to track progress and monitor accomplishments.

Funding will mainly come through EPA Clean Water Act Section 319 grants. Most of the BMPs in the plan are eligible to receive funding through these grants since their focus is on the reduction of nonpoint source pollution.

Outreach and education of watershed-related activities are important in promoting awareness of the plan and the progression of plan implementation. Some of the outreach components include holding public meetings, distributing flyers about the plan and agricultural activities, and locating volunteers for litter and debris cleanups.

Implementation of the plan is divided into three phases. Phase I represents the first two years of the plan, where most educational and outreach components are implemented, along with selecting site-specific BMPs for grant funding. Phase II will require the watershed action committee to continue submitting grants and starting the implementation of BMPs. Phase III represents the last four years of the planning period in which BMP implementation will continue, and evaluation of the plan will begin.

Interim measurable milestones, water quality benchmarks, and a monitoring component have also been established to track progress and evaluate the success of the plan. The table below represents the water quality benchmarks in the plan, which focus on nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment.   

The monitoring component of the plan features programs offered by IEPA and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Network (AWQMN) and the Intensive River Basin Surveys are both ways in which water quality can be tested. Results will be analyzed by the watershed action committee to determine the success of BMP implementation and the plan itself. For more information, see greateregypt.org/kinkaid-creek-watershed-based-plan.

Western Crab Orchard Creek Watershed-based Plan 

Beginning in the latter part 2018, the Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission (Greater Egypt) was contracted by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to develop a watershed-based plan for the Western Crab Orchard Creek watershed using EPA Section 604(b) funding.  

The Western Crab Orchard Creek watershed is a collective group of three smaller watersheds comprised of: Drury Creek, Indian Creek – Drury Creek, and Little Crab Orchard Creek – Crab Orchard Creek. The study area is part of the larger Big Muddy River basin. The planning area encompasses 56,533 acres, or around 88 square miles. Most of the watershed lies within Jackson County (78%), with the other portions being in Union (19%) and Williamson County (3%). While the City of Carbondale represents the largest built environment in the study area, the Villages of Cobden and Makanda are also represented.  

Nine waterbodies in the watershed have been placed on the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s 303(d) List of Impaired Waters. This list comprises waterbodies that do not meet water quality standards. Causes of these impairments in the watershed include: dissolved oxygen, mercury, methoxychlor, PCBs, pH, sedimentation/siltation, total suspended solids (TSS), and water temperature.  

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Following the submission of the Western Crab Orchard Creek Watershed Resource Inventory and Assessment, an initial stakeholder meeting was held in 2020 to gain awareness of planning efforts and to garner membership for the Western Crab Orchard Creek Watershed Planning Committee. The group convened on a quarterly basis and provided guidance throughout the plan. This included discussing existing knowledge of the watershed and suggesting best management practices (BMP) for the plan. The success of the plan relies heavily on the continuation of public involvement. This includes overseeing the implementation of the plan and monitoring progress.  

Land use in the watershed is represented by large areas of agriculture, forest, and urban environment. Agriculture in the watershed is composed of 18.7 percent of pasture and hay and 6.7 percent of cultivated crops. Forested areas represent the largest land use at 51 percent of the watershed. Developed land constitutes 21 percent. Remaining land uses in the watershed include open water (1.1%) and wetlands (1.2%). With around 25 percent of the watershed being classified as agriculture, there is a high potential nutrient runoff. This is exemplified by areas of cropland that are located in the Little Crab Orchard Creek subwatershed. 

While impervious surfaces in the planning area are generally low, the Carbondale area constitutes the largest portion of the watershed’s impervious network. This is made up of roads, buildings, and other components of the built environment. This can also lead to localized flooding. The Spreadsheet Tool for Estimating Pollutant Loads (STEPL) was utilized to generate existing pollutant loads for the Western Crab Orchard Creek watershed and its subwatershed management units. While the program produces general estimates, the baseline data was generated from multiple factors, including land use, climatic indicators, agriculture, septic rates, urban runoff, and streambank erosion using lateral recession rates. In the Western Crab Orchard Creek watershed, estimated pollutant loads are influenced by areas of agricultural and urban environments.  
 

Pollutant load reduction targets were also generated for major pollutants. A reduction of nitrogen at 15 percent, phosphorus at 25 percent, and sediment reduction of 25 percent were calculated for the plan. Target goals are consistent with the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (ILNLRS).   

To achieve the target goals, BMPs were suggested in regards to the major nutrient contributors in the watershed, agricultural and urban practices. While the plan addresses watershed-wide practices, site-specific BMPs have also been established to manage agricultural and urban pollutants and other impairments on a localized level.  

These management efforts confront the impairments of the various waterbodies in the Western Crab Orchard Creek watershed. Some of the measures include gully, shoreline, and streambank stabilization methods. They have also been categorized by priority based on cost and pollutant load reductions. The plan incorporates the nine minimum elements required of a watershed-based plan. These elements include: a characterization of the watershed through a resource inventory and assessment to identify nonpoint source pollution, identification of management measures to address those pollutants, identification of funding and technical assistance, an educational component, and a monitoring and evaluation component to track progress and monitor accomplishments.  

Funding will mainly come through EPA Clean Water Act Section 319 grants. Most of the BMPs in the plan are eligible to receive funding through these grants since their focus is on reducing nonpoint source pollution. Outreach and education of watershed-related activities are important in promoting awareness of the plan and the progression of plan implementation. Some of the outreach components include: holding public meetings, distributing flyers about the plan and agricultural activities, and locating volunteers for litter cleanups.  

Implementation of the plan is divided into three phases. Phase I represents the first two years of the plan, where most educational and outreach components are implemented, along with selecting site-specific BMPs for grant funding. Phase II will require the watershed action committee to continue submitting grants and starting the implementation of BMPs. Phase III represents the last four years of the planning period, in which BMP implementation will continue and evaluation of the plan will begin. Interim measurable milestones, water quality benchmarks, and a monitoring component have also been established to track progress and evaluate the success of the plan. represents the ten-year water quality benchmarks in the plan, with a focus on nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment.  

The monitoring component of the plan features programs offered by IEPA and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Network (AWQMN) and the Intensive River Basin Surveys are both ways in which water quality can be tested. Results will be analyzed by the watershed action committee to determine the success of BMP implementation and the plan itself. For more information, see greateregypt.org/crab-orchard-creek-west-watershed-based-plan.