The North Branch Chicago River Watershed Workgroup was formed in January 2018 to identify and assess water quality issues along the three forks of the North Branch Chicago River. The watershed encompasses over 95 square miles, with northern and southern boundaries roughly extending from Illinois Route 132 in Waukegan, Lake County south to Dempster Street in Morton Grove, Cook County. The work-group membership consists of 42 separate organizations, including 24 MS4 communities and agencies two of which are POTWs.
In 2019 and 2020, NBWW updated the NBWW workplan and progress report to evaluate progress being made toward the workplan. Illinois EPA approved the NBWW Quality Assurance Project Plan in April 2019 and the NBWW continued their water quality monitoring program. The monitoring program included:
- Identifying 25 sites in the watershed for consistent sampling.
- Collecting and analyzing water column chemistry samples from all 25 sites.
- Deploying datasondes at seven sites in 2019 and six sites in 2020 for collecting dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, and specific conductance.
- Collecting and analyzing fish, macroinvertebrates, habitat, and sediment samples at 14 of the 25 sites, completing the first full cycle of bioassessment data in 2019.
- Collecting and analyzing fish, macroinvertebrates, habitat, and sediment samples at 11 more sites, starting a second cycle of bioassessment data in 2020.
- Receiving a draft comprehensive monitoring report detailing the first full cycle of monitoring data (2018-19). In 2021, the NBWW Monitoring Committee will be reviewing this draft to produce a final version of the comprehensive monitoring report.
The 2018–20 NBWW monitoring program costs were utilized as local project match towards Lake County Stormwater Management Commission’s Illinois EPA Section 319 (Clean Water Act) grant program to update the 2008 North Branch Chicago River watershed-based plan.
The NBWW’s website can be found at nbwwil.org
