Dec 8, 2023 12:30 pm
Since 2014, the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative has convened stakeholders to solve flooding and water quality problems in the Little Calumet River and Cal-Sag Channel watersheds. Representatives from more than 40 organizations participate in the collaborative. During monthly meetings, group members exchange information on water quality and flooding needs as well as worthwhile projects and initiatives. The collaborative has developed free, online green infrastructure design templates for communities, a new data-mapping tool for the region, a repository of stormwater management resources, and a logic model for green infrastructure training and maintenance. It developed four watershed plans: the Little Calumet River, Cal-Sag Channel, Des Plaines River in Cook County, and Poplar Creek. These plans were approved by Illinois EPA and recommend best management practices, such as green infrastructure, to reduce nutrient pollution from stormwater.
As of 2023, the Calument Stormwater Collaborative has completed the first iteration of the green infrastructure baseline inventory, led by the Metropolitan Planning Council, and the urban flooding baseline, led by the Center for Neighborhood Technology.
More information on the green infrastructure baseline can be found at www.metroplanning.org/work/project/23/ subpage/7.
The urban flooding baseline tool can be found at ufb.cnt.org.
