The Illinois River Watershed Study Group, IRWSG, held formational meetings in May and July 2022. From those meetings, a steering committee formed and the following mission and implementation steps were outlined. The study group held its first full meeting in November 2022.
Illinois River Watershed Study Group Mission
The mission of the Illinois River Watershed Study Group, IRWSG, is to facilitate improvement in long-term water quality in the Illinois River watershed with an initial focus on phosphorous loads and eutrophication. IRWSG’s near-term goals include monitoring data collection efforts and identifying data gaps that may require additional research and possible funding.
Implementation Plan
The IRWSG will be made up of stakeholders in the Illinois River System including wastewater treatment plants, municipalities, agricultural groups, environmental groups, industrial facilities, and state and federal agencies. The group will be led by a steering committee made up of volunteers representing these sectors. Through August 2023, facilitation and administration of the group will be supported by University of Illinois Extension with support from Illinois EPA.
The Steering Committee will meet regularly through August 2023 to discuss emerging issues, research, and local concerns. Subcommittees will be formed around special topics as identified by the Steering Committee. The group reevaluated the meeting schedule and administration during the summer of 2023 and adjusted as needed.
A full meeting of the IRWSG stakeholders will be convened every six months to showcase monitoring data, steering committee and subcommittee progress, and new programs or research as applicable. Meetings are held at the Peoria Sanitary District facilities unless other arrangements are determined by the Steering Committee.
Steering Committee
- Fredric Andes, Barnes & Thornburg LLP
- Shelby Best, American Farmland Trust
- Elliot Clay, Illinois Environmental Council
- Andrea Cline, HDR Inc.
- Kent Cox, Illinois Rural Water Association
- Ashley Curran, Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
- Albert Ettinger, Illinois Chapter Sierra Club and Mississippi River Collaborative
- Brandon Janes, Deerfield Water Reclamation Facility
- Brian Johnson, Greater Peoria Sanitary District
- Lauren Lurkins, Illinois Farm Bureau
- Adrienne Marino, The Nature Conservancy
- Rebecca Maddox, Constellation Nuclear
- Adrienne Nemura, Geosyntec
- Karoline Qasem, Geosyntec
- Nicole Vidales, Illinois EPA
