The Madison County Stormwater Management Commission and the Building & Zoning Department are completing a Countywide Stormwater Management Plan.  The purpose of the plan is to address issues associated with stormwater for both incorporated and unincorporated parts of the county.  The countywide approach is intended to put everyone on the same page and create multi-jurisdictional opportunities instead of addressing issues individually.  Over the last few years, planners have been working with municipalities and townships to identify a wide range of flooding, drainage, and water quality issues and establish best management practices to address them.  The overall goals of the plan are as follows:

• Reduce flooding and mitigate flood damage
• Improve water quality
• Promote best practices for land development
• Develop organizational and regulatory framework
• Conduct public education and outreach

An outgrowth of the management framework are individual watershed plans.  The watershed plans provide the opportunity to identify and examine specific issues on a local level and propose projects to alleviate those issues.  The watershed plans also provide greater opportunity for public input through public forums, stakeholder meetings, and resident surveys.


The geographic boundaries of the watersheds are associated with the primary creek system within the larger drainage area. This strategy was chosen since it involves multiple municipalities and townships that are linked together by the creek and each watershed has shared impacts.  Planners have completed plans for Upper Silver Creek, Indian Creek, and Canteen Creek watersheds, and they’re nearly finished with a plan for the American Bottom watershed, which is also known as Judy’s Branch. After the American Bottom plan is completed, the team will begin planning for the Wood River Creek and Piasa Creek watersheds.

To date, the efforts have helped raise over $1 million in grants from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  The $500k Upper Silver Creek grant and $450k Silver Lake grant are being expended to address issues in their respective watersheds.  Another $200k will go to fund the Wood River Creek and Piasa Creek watersheds.  In addition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has partnered in the efforts by providing in-kind support by completing comprehensive studies of the natural drainage system within each watershed.

NEW WATERSHED BMP OPPORTUNITIES

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
The goal of this program is to improve water quality in the Indian-Cahokia Creek watershed by helping in the voluntary implementation of highly effective Best Management Practices (BMPs). Property owners in the watershed can make a measurable positive impact on water quality and stormwater runoff, which will help reduce downstream water quality problems, flood damage, and other issues. HeartLands Conservancy received a grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), in partnership with the Madison County Building & Zoning Department. The grant funds are dedicated to helping to construct high-quality BMP projects. HeartLands Conservancy is looking for landowners and local government entities to sign up. The BMPs installed should, to the extent possible, filter runoff to remove sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants as well as reduce runoff volume and velocity. 
Indian-Cahokia Creek Watershed Landowners BMP Application

tinyurl.com/IndianCreekBMP

PROJECT TYPES FUNDED: 
This financial assistance program will fund the following types of BMP projects: