Two Open House events will be held to inform the public about the Cahokia Creek Watershed Planning project on Tuesday, January 17th from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Madison County Farm Bureau in Edwardsville and on Thursday, January 19th from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Glen Carbon Senior/Community Center.
The Cahokia Creek Watershed Planning process is a way to strategically address stormwater, flooding, and water quality issues in the two Cahokia Creek watersheds in western Madison County by creating a watershed plan for each one.
HeartLands Conservancy’s Janet Buchanan notes that these Open Houses may be useful for residents, business owners, farmers, and local governments alike.
“Watershed plans can be used to leverage funding for many different types of projects,” Buchanan said. “With input from attendees at Open Houses, we can direct attention to infrastructure projects and land management issues that matter to people.”
The events are open to the public for residents, businesses, and property owners in the Cahokia Creek watershed project area, which includes all or parts of Bethalto, Holiday Shores, Edwardsville, Roxana, Hartford, Glen Carbon, Maryville, and Collinsville. Representatives from Madison County, HeartLands Conservancy, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be on hand to gather input from attendees about flooding and stormwater issues, and to answer questions. The same information will be presented both nights.
The purpose of the Open House events is to help identify flooding and water quality issues within the watershed area, to help explain and explore solutions to these issues, and to provide an update on the watershed planning process. The planning team will use the input from residents, farmers, communities, and local organizations to create a list of issues to be addressed in the watershed plans with a set of recommendations for the area. These recommendations will address flooding, stormwater, erosion, and water quality, among other issues.
The effort is part of Madison County’s overall stormwater management effort. Earlier this year, Madison County completed a watershed plan for the Upper Silver Creek Watershed, and a similar effort is underway for the American Bottom Watershed. As a result of the Upper Silver Creek plan, the Illinois EPA awarded HeartLands Conservancy a $500,000 grant to implement projects that address water quality and stormwater issues identified in the plan in Madison County.
The effort is being undertaken by a partnership between Madison County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with HeartLands Conservancy as the lead consultant.
For more information about the Cahokia Creek Watershed Planning effort, please contact Janet Buchanan at HeartLands Conservancy at 618-566-4451 ext 25 or email janet.buchanan@heartlandsconservancy.org .
For updates on this project and information about other HeartLands Conservancy activities, visit http://www.facebook.com/HeartLandsConservancy.