A Look at Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's Harmful Algal Bloom Program

What are cyanobacteria blooms? Routine and bloom event response monitoring. How to report a bloom. Sample analysis and a look at the 2023 sampling season. Cyanobacteria ID and enumeration, Illinois EPA HAB webpage and Dashboard, Actions local communities can take, and HAB resources, and contact information. (PDF [5.13 mb])

Climate Change & Lake Management in Illinois

Importance of Watershed-Scale Planning for Water Quality: The climate is moving the goalpost, making planning and implementation critical for mission success. PDF [2.15 MB]

Dredging - How to Gage How Much Sediment Has Been Removed?

MOST COMMON METHOD: • High tech bathymetric mapping using sonar, get thousands of points ,Aquatic plants may reduce accuracy • Combined with old fashioned sediment probing with poles, Limited number of points. PDF [2.25 MB]

Fish Stocking 101

Agenda » Establish Current Conditions » Determine Fisheries Goals » Develop a Plan » Implement Plan » Assess Plan. PDF [1.43 MB]

Fishing Regulation Cheat Sheet

Like Anglers, Individual Lakes and Fish Populations are Usually Unique! PDF [7.22 MB]

Harmful Algal Blooms and Source Water Protection: Challenges for Public Water Supplies

Public Water Supply (PWS) at least 15 service connections or serves an average of 25 people for at least 60 days a year. Community Water System (CWS): A public water system that supplies water to the same population year-round. Public or privately owned. PDF [2.23 MB]

Illinois EPA Financial Assistance Programs for Water Quality & Watershed Protection

IEPA’s mission - safeguard environmental quality, consistent with the social and economic needs of the State, to protect health, welfare, property and the quality of life. • Watersheds draining to rivers, lakes, and streams impact local water quality. PDF [6.18 MB]

Lake Decatur Watershed Management and Protection Program: Watershed Monitoring

Lake Decatur • Built in 1920-1922 by damming Sangamon River • Primary water supply for Decatur & Mt. Zion • 3,090 Acres, contains 9.7 billion gallons of water • Two water treatment plants use 34 MGD - City of Decatur and Archer Daniels Midland • 245 days or 8 months of water supply • 926 square mile watershed • 83% of watershed used for row crops. PDF [5.19 MB]

Lake Springfield: Adapting to a changing source water environment

Lake Springfield source water quality measureables: sediment/ clarity, Atrazine, Nitrates, Phosphorus, & Bacteria. PDF [796.67 KB]

Loon Lakes Eurasian Watermilfoil Treatment Case Study

Why Manage Invasive Aquatic Plants? • Native Aquatic Plants = Healthy Lake • Invasive plants can take over a lake • Excessive herbicide application can lead to a lake with no plants and severe algae bloom • It can be challenging to reverse a lake from algae dominated to plant dominated system. PDF [4.7 MB]

Mitigation Strategies for the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy

The Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) was established in 2015 and designed to reduce the nutrient loads in Illinois waterways and its negative impacts. The Illinois NLRS fosters a partnership to improve water quality within and downstream of Illinois to reduce the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico.  PDF [1.91 MB]