Phosphorus is a nutrient and if allowed to enter the waterways, promotes the production of algae, which ultimately
takes oxygen away from fish and other aquatic life, making it difficult for survival. It is estimated that this ban will
prevent approximately 1200 tons per year (tpy) of phosphorus from entering Illinois’ rivers and streams.

Since most water reclamation plants are not able to remove phosphorus during the biological wastewater treatment
process, MWRD officials had been staunch advocates of this legislation. In 2005 the board of commissioners passed
a resolution encouraging the state to legislate the reduction of phosphorus in cleaning products. It is estimated that
this reduction of phosphorus in household products will save taxpayers across the state about $330 million
infrastructure improvements to remove phosphorus at wastewater treatment facilities.

Board President Terrence O’Brien said that this long-awaited reduction of phosphorus in cleaning products will have
a positive impact on waterways throughout the state.

“We’ve been looking forward to this day for several years. We are proud that Illinois has joined more than half of the
other states in the U.S. in reducing the amount of phosphorus in cleaning supplies. This reduction will have a
significant impact on the quality of life in Illinois’ river and water environment. Several years ago we worked with
the Illinois Association of Wastewater Agencies (IAWA) and environmental groups such as the Sierra Club to ensure
the passage of legislation to reduce the amount of phosphorus in household products. July 1 marks the beginning of
healthier waterways throughout our state, and a great day for the aquatic life in Illinois,” O’Brien said.
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WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a new permit requirement that would decrease the amount of pesticides discharged to our nation’s waters and protect human health and the environment. This action is in response to an April 9, 2009 court decision that found that pesticide discharges to U.S. waters were pollutants, thus requiring a permit.

The proposed permit, released for public comment and developed in collaboration with states, would require all operators to reduce pesticide discharges by using the lowest effective amount of pesticide, prevent leaks and spills, calibrate equipment and monitor for and report adverse incidents. Additional controls, such as integrated pest management practices, are built into the permit for operators who exceed an annual treatment area threshold.

“EPA believes this draft permit strikes a balance between using pesticides to control pests and protecting human health and water quality,” said Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water.

EPA estimates that the pesticide general permit will affect approximately 35,000 pesticide applicators nationally that perform approximately half a million pesticide applications annually. The agency’s draft permit covers the following pesticide uses:  (1) mosquito and other flying insect pest control; (2) aquatic weed and algae control; (3) aquatic nuisance animal control; and (4) forest canopy pest control. It does not cover terrestrial applications to control pests on agricultural crops or forest floors.  EPA is soliciting public comment on whether additional use patterns should be covered by this general permit.

The agency plans to finalize the permit in December 2010.  It will take effect April 9, 2011. Once finalized, the pesticide general permit will be used in states, territories, tribal lands, and federal facilities where EPA is the authorized permitting authority.  In the remaining 44 states, states will issue the pesticide general permits. EPA has been working closely with these states to concurrently develop their permits.

EPA will hold three public meetings, a public hearing and a webcast on the draft general permit to present the proposed requirements of the permit, the basis for those requirements and to answer questions. EPA will accept written comments on the draft permit for 45 days after publication in the Federal Register.

More information on the draft permit: http://www.epa.gov/npdes

The Board of Commissioners and representatives from the Village of Wheeling and the Wheeling Park District this past Thursday signed an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) fro the construction of the reservoirs and related additional improvements to heritage Park.

Formally named the Heritage Park Concept Plan, the complex includes six stormwater storage facilities that will have the capacity to store more than 49 million gallons of rain water. Additional improvements to the park include new walkways, a band shell, a baseball area, a soccer field and other underdrained athletic fields in the storage areas.

The Heritage Park complex will provide floodwater storage upstream of Levee 37 in Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights, a flood structure that is being built along the Des Plaines River by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Last month the MWRD’s Board of Commissioners awarded a $3million contract to AECOM Engineering to begin the design of the facility. Actual construction is estimated to begin in 2012.

Source: MWRD

“This sampling plan will provide us with important data needed to make future decisions,” said John Rogner, Assistant Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “Keeping Asian carp from establishing a population in Lake Michigan remains our ultimate goal and we think this new monitoring plan will help us achieve our objectives.”

“These new monitoring efforts will help us make the most strategic decisions for keeping Asian carp from becoming established in the Great Lakes,” said Charlie Wooley, Deputy Regional Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). “The new monitoring plan will provide the quantitative information necessary to determine the most successful control methods for Asian carp, if they are present in the area.”

To date, the Regional Coordinating Committee’s efforts have focused on monitoring and sampling the CAWS to determine whether positive hits of Asian carp environmental DNA (eDNA) found in multiple locations upstream of the electric barrier indicate the presence of Asian carp. Traditional sampling techniques including gillnetting and electrofishing did not yield the capture of any Asian carp in areas surveyed during the initial six week sampling period.

Based on the eDNA tests, the new sampling and monitoring plan will take those traditional fishing methods to the North Shore Channel where a three day sampling effort using electrofishing gear and commercial fishing nets will be used in an attempt to locate Asian carp. The operation will require the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to close a portion of the North Shore Channel starting on Tuesday, May 11 and will reopen the morning of Friday, May 14. The area targeted for sampling extends ¼ mile south of Oakton Street‐ approximately five miles north to the Wilmette Pumping Station. The North Shore Channel is almost exclusively used by paddlers because of its shallow depths and not navigable to most commercial and recreational boats.

The new plan also calls for a rotenone sampling operation upstream of the electric barriers near the O’Brien Lock and Dam to determine whether‐ and if so, how many‐ Asian carp might exist in that location where positive eDNA samples have been taken.

The planned application and subsequent fish recovery will begin with waterway closure on Thursday, May 20 and last five to six days. The application will take place on the Little Calumet River approximately one mile downstream of T.J. O’Brien Lock and Dam, east of the I‐94 overpass, and will cover a stretch of two miles downstream of the starting location. The waterway will be treated in one day, and the recovery phase of the operation will last between four to five days. During that time, the FWS, IDNR, and other participating agencies will aim to recover as many fish in the application area as possible to determine the abundance and type of fish present in the treated area.

The toxicant will eradicate Asian carp and other fish in the canal, but does not present a risk to people or other wildlife when used properly.

During the application and recovery phases, the USCG will implement a safety zone to protect waterway users and workers conducting sampling operations in the vicinity of the O’Brien Lock. Access to the canal will be restricted for a period of five to seven days, meaning that boaters will not be able to transit the safety zone until sampling operations are completed and the safety zone is rescinded by the U.S. Coast Guard. Any safety zone notice for these sampling operations will be published in the federal register and will also be posted online at http://www.uscg.fishbarrierinfo.com.
The Monitoring Plan has several objectives with an overall goal of preventing Asian carp from establishing self‐sustaining populations in the Great Lakes including:

o Determine the distribution and abundance of Asian carp in the CAWS, if they are present.
o Establish parameters of acceptable risk and determine our current risk level.
o Remove Asian carp in the CAWS to a level below what is considered an acceptable risk.
o Determine the leading edge of major Asian carp populations and reproduction.

Rotenone, a fish toxicant commonly used in fisheries management, was previously used on a six mile stretch of the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal in December of 2009 while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shut down the Electric Barrier System for routine maintenance. That effort yielded one Bighead carp caught just above the Lockport Lock and Powerhouse approximately six miles downstream of the Electric barrier. No Asian carp have been found above the electric barrier to date.

Knowledge of the population size and location of possible Asian carp in CAWS is critical data that will inform biologists and decision makers on selecting and prioritizing appropriate actions to keep Asian carp from moving into Lake Michigan.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to report eDNA results through the RCC’s multi‐agency http://asiancarp.org Web site.

The RCC includes representatives from the City of Chicago, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

These partners are working to address the threat Asian carp pose to the Great Lakes through the development and implementation of the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework. The Framework, which is guided by the latest scientific research, is expected to encompass more than two dozen short‐ and long‐term actions and up to $78.5 million in investments to combat the spread of Asian carp.

For up to date information about the efforts of the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee please see an updated version of the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework now available at www.asiancarp.org.

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) is responsible for one of the most important resources in our community…our water supply. As related to water, environmental quality and community health are dependent upon the stewardship and decision made by the leadership of the MWRD.

Since the beginning of the campaign, it has been my goal to reach out to as many groups as possible. These include but are not limited to senior groups, ethnic groups. Neighborhood groups, ward organizations, environmental groups, chambers of commerce amongst others. Although the campaign benefited from the outreach, I was also able to talk about the issues facing the MWRD, including, Asian carp, disinfection, pharmaceuticals in the water, water privatization, water issues etc.

As your Commissioner, I will continue to work to ensure that our community has a safe and reliable water supply that fosters improved community health.

Regards,

Mariyana Spyropoulos
Commissioner

Michigan Request Overlooks Flooding Potential for Chicago Region

Chicago – A request for denial of the state of Michigan’s lawsuit to close the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) lakefront controls and navigational locks was filed this morning by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD). The 34 page brief sent to the United States’ Supreme Court identifies five key considerations in defense of the request.

The core of the request is based on the widespread flooding that would likely occur in the Chicago area if MWRD is prevented from discharging excess floodwater to Lake Michigan during extreme weather events. MWRD is the stormwater management agency that controls flooding in an 884 square mile area including the city of Chicago and 124 suburban municipalities.

Michigan’s motion for an injunction focuses almost exclusively on an economic impact to the region’s commercial navigation (substantial despite Michigan’s claims). It fails to consider the widespread potential devastation of flooding of the 76 miles of the CAWS in one of the country’s most densely populous regions. MWRD contends that adverse public health issues (Chicago region) should take precedence in the Court’s decision.

Should the Supreme Court grant Michigan’s request, MWRD asks the Court to allow for discharge from the CAWS into the Lake as necessary to prevent flooding and protect the health and safety of its residents. If MWRD is restricted from opening the lock gates during times of extreme flooding the MWRD will be unable to take any action to prevent the resulting damage.

“Closing the locks to protect Lake Michigan from Asian Carp is a disservice to public health and safety.” stated MWRD President Terrence J. O’Brien. “ Constituents are significantly short-changed in being forced into litigating. Making public policy through the court system is not good government.”

MWRD operations ensure that releasing excess floodwater to the Lake is a last resort when all of its facilities are at maximum capacity and the waterways are approaching or exceeding flooding stage. When significant amounts of rainfall are expected, MWRD draws down the water level in the CAWs by opening the sluice gates at the Lockport Powerhouse and Lockport Controlling Works. Even with these controlling systems, the water level in the CAWS could continue to rise. To avoid widespread flooding, MWRD’s final option is to release into the Lake at any of three lakefront controls, the Wilmette Harbor sluice gate, the Chicago River Controlling Works (at Navy Pier) and the O’Brien Lock and Dam (at 130th Street and the Calumet River).

Michigan’s claim that the Asian Carp are “infesting” the CAWS is faulty. The experimental science identifying eDNA has not been independently verified. A single Asian Carp fish was harvested at the far end of the CAWS in December during a proactive and preventative operation eliminating thousands of fish by agencies led by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Army Corp of Engineers. Additionally, MWRD has no authority to engage in fish kills.

Finally, MWRD’s position is that none of the factors identified by Michigan support issuing a preliminary injunction as requested. The potentially disastrous effect of flooding and the impact it will have on the five million residents MWRD serves cannot be denied.

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The newly appointed Commissioner Mariyana Spyropoulos was welcomed today by the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.  Governor Quinn appointed Ms. Spyropoulos to fill the seat vacated by Patricia Young who returned to civil service earlier this year.

An environmentalist and attorney, the Board is confident Ms. Spyropoulos will assume the responsibilities of the District’s mission to protect the environment and maintain public health and safety.   “Mariyana is well-qualified for this position,” stated President Terrence J. O’Brien. “She will bring additional thought leadership to the Board at a time when all government agencies are responding to declining economic conditions.”

Established in 1889, the District is responsible for stormwater and wastewater management. It maintains a fiscal Triple-A Bond rating while performing its engineering, and environmental efficiencies. It monitors and sustains the Chicago Area Waterways System and serves a population of ten million combined residents and industrial users.

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Read the Full Release Here