This is a list of all documents accepted for permanent retention under the subject classification 'Natural resources and the environment: Water resources: Rivers and streams'.
Natural resources and the environment:
Water resources:
Rivers and streams
2000-2001 Illinois Trapper Report
A stratified random sample of 892 persons who purchased a 2000 resident Illinois trapping license was surveyed after the furbearer trapping season. The U.S. Postal Service was successful in reaching 857 of the licensees, 621 (72%) of whom returned usable questionnaires. Trapping license sales declined 9% from 1999 (2,345 licenses) to 2000 (2,126 licenses). Trappers had traps set for an average of 23.4 days during the 2000-2001 season, and they harvested an estimated 96,480 furbearers (down 18% from the 118,326 harvested in 1999-2000). Data are provided for temporal distribution of trapping activities, types of traps used, participation in trapper education programs, and fur hunting by trappers. The opinions of trappers as to changes in furbearer populations and trapping effort are also presented, as is a profile of personal characteristics of trappers.
2001-2002 Illinois Trapper Report
A stratified random sample of 894 persons who purchased a 2001 resident Illinois trapping license was surveyed after the furbearer trapping season. The U.S. Postal Service successfully reached 858 of the licensees, 619 (72%) of whom returned usable questionnaires. Trapping license sales increased 25% from 2000 (2,126 licenses) to 2001 (2,668 licenses). Trappers had traps set for an average of 29.8 days during the 2001-2002 season, and they harvested an estimated 184,562 furbearers (up 91% from the 96,480 harvested in 2000-2001). Data are provided for temporal distribution of trapping activities, types of traps used, participation in trapper education programs, sources of furbearer and trapping information, and fur hunting by trappers. The opinions of trappers as to changes in furbearer populations are also presented, as is a profile of personal characteristics of trappers.
2002 Illinois Light Goose Conservation Action Survey Report (2002)
Harvest of light geese during the 2002 Illinois Conservation Action was estimated at 17,875 geese, a decrease or 18,955 geese from the 2001 harvest of 36,830. Participation increased to 5,107 hunters during 2002 compared to 4,665 hunters during 2001. Hunters spent an estimated 31,204 days afield during 2002, a decrease of 1,430 from the 32,634 days hunted during 2001. Unplugged shotguns were the method used most often (67%); however electronic calls and hunting after sunset were also used by more than 50% of hunters (62% and 54%, respectively). As with hunters responding to the 2001 survey, hunters who did not participate in the conservation action reported no geese in the area and no place to hunt as well as not interested as the main reasons they did not hunt light geese.
2002-03 Illinois Trapper Survey Report [HR-03-02]
A stratified random sample of 770 persons who purchased a 2002 resident Illinois trapping license was surveyed after the furbearer trapping season. The U.S. Postal Service successfully reached 741 of the licensees, 551 (74%) of whom returned usable questionnaires. Trapping license sales increased 15% from 2001 (2,668 licenses) to 2002 (3,073 licenses). Trappers had traps set for an average of 28.1 days during the 2002-2003 season, and they harvested an estimated 193,072 furbearers (up 5% from the 184,562 harvested in 2001-2002). Data are provided for temporal distribution of trapping activities.
Alternative Evaluation Report, Replacement of Upper Batavia Dam, Kane County, Illinois (2000, December)
A study developed as part of the replacement of Upper Batavia Dam. The file is 19 megs in size and includes the table of contents, background, design objectives, fish passage criteria, recreation, planning, concept development, dam removal, project alternatives, and alternate evaluation sections.
Annual Report for Active IDOT Wetland Compensation and Hydrologic Monitoring Sites {periodical start}
Annual report by the Illinois State Geological Survey to the Illinois Department of Transportation. Hydrologic data was collected from wetland compensation sites and potential wetland compensation sites being monitored under contract. Where appropriate, the report also includes a determination of areas meeting wetland hydrology criteria listed in the 1987 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual and its online updates.
Cahokia Creek/Holiday Shores Lake watershed TMDL Report (2007, August) [IEPA/BOW/07-019]
This report documents the analysis and findings of the TMDL development for water segments within this watershed. Illinois is required to identify water bodies that do not meet water quality standards and to determine the Total Maximum Daily Load for pollutants causing the impairment.
Chemical and biological survey of the waters of Illinois: report for year ending December 31, 1913 (1914) [B-11]
EDMUND JANES JAMES, PH.D., LL.D., President University of Illinois. SIR: Herewith I submit a report of the work of the State Water Survey for the year ending December 31, 1913, and request that it be printed as a bulletin of the University of Illinois, State Water Survey Series No. 11. The report contains an account of the work done by the Water Survey in accordance with the laws (Laws of Illinois, 40th General Assembly 1897, 12; 47th General Assembly, 1911, 43. Bulletin University of Illinois, State Water Survey Series, 9, 7-8). The General Report gives a summary of the chemical, biological and engineering work done and an account of the special investigations made during the year. Some interesting and valuable scientific investigations have been carried on by both the chemists and engineers. Advice relative to public water supplies has been given a large number of cities and plans for all new projects have been reviewed and reported upon. Extensive sanitary surveys of watersheds have been made which are proving of much value to cities facing the problem of sewage treatment. This work should be continued to cover all the watersheds of the state. During the year a co-operative arrangement has been perfected with the Rivers and Lakes Commission which increases the effectiveness of the Survey's work along the lines of stream cleaning. Thorough investigations have been made of several typhoid fever epidemics, suspected of being water borne. The most important of Health. During the Ohio River floods of April, the Survey was able to render valuable service in protecting water supplies and establishing sanitary conditions. Respectfully submitted, EDWARD BARTOW, Director.
Database for the chemical and isotopic composition of the Illinois River Basin, Illinois (2003-2005) [OFS 2009-3]
This report presents the data obtained during a two-year investigation of dissolved constituents in the Illinois River. The objective of the investigation was to identify the major sources of nitrate, chloride and other inorganic constituents present in the Illinois River Watershed from the Chicago area to its confluence with the Mississippi River.
Effective discharges of Illinois streams (2002) [CR-2002-10]
The hydrologic regime of a natural stream is usually highly complex and encompasses a wide range of discharges. The magnitudes and frequencies at which the various discharges occur play a key role in creating the channel's morphology. The concept of 'dominant discharge' proposes that there exists a single steady discharge that, theoretically, if constantly maintained in a stream over a long period of time would form and maintain the same basic stable channel dimensions as those produced by the long-term natural hydrograph. This theoretical discharge is referred to as a stream's dominant discharge. If such a dominant discharge exists and can be accurately calculated, this discharge can be one of the tools that stream restoration personnel use to help design channels that are morphologically stable, i.e., not experiencing either excessive erosion or sediment deposition. There is no direct method to calculate a stream's dominant discharge, and stream researchers have commonly assumed that the dominant discharge can be equated with either the stream's bankfull discharge, a specific flood recurrence interval, or the stream's effective discharge. The purpose of this study is to analyze the available data and existing computational methods for the third approach, that being the estimation of effective discharges specific to Illinois streams. The effective discharge of a stream is defined as the single discharge rate that carries the most sediment over time. Note that the effective discharge is not typically a discharge associated with the most extreme flood events, which may carry large amounts of sediment load but occur infrequently. Instead it is commonly considered to be a moderately high discharge having a more modest load, but occurring frequently enough that in the long-run it carries more sediment than the extreme flood events. To facilitate computations, the effective discharge is estimated as occurring within a discharge class or increment, rather than as a single discharge. Effective discharge can be estimated using data on suspended sediment load, bed load, bed material, or total sediment load, with the method of estimation depending on the sediment transport characteristics of the stream, available data, and, to some degree, the researcher's school of thought. For this study, estimates of effective discharges are based on the suspended sediment load, which is the dominant load in most Illinois streams. Suspended sediment data collected at 88 gaging stations within Illinois were analyzed to determine which gaging stations in Illinois currently have sufficient suspended sediment data available to estimate effective discharges. A procedure was adapted from previous research and implemented to compute effective discharge values for each stream location having sufficient suspended sediment data. For each of those gaging stations, an estimate was made of the flow frequency at which the effective discharge was equaled or exceeded. For stations having adequate sediment data, flood recurrence intervals associated with effective discharge values were computed using annual maximum flow data. Correlation coefficients (r<SUP>2</SUP>) for 12 linear regressions are presented to describe the relationship between six effective discharge parameters and channel slope and watershed area. The data from 20 of the 88 gaging stations were deemed sufficient for computing effective discharge values. These 20 gaging stations were located on streams with watershed areas ranging from 244 to 6363 square miles (mi<SUP>2</SUP>). The relatively large watershed areas allow use of mean daily discharge values in computing effective discharge values. The annual maximum series analysis indicated that recurrence intervals associated with effective discharges found at these stations ranged from less than 1.01 years to 1.23 years. Such recurrence intervals are on the low end of the 1- to 3-year recurrence intervals commonly reported in other studies. However, these recurrence intervals are representative of Illinois' larger watersheds, and recurrence intervals of effective discharges in smaller Illinois watersheds could be quite different. Of the 20 qualified stations, 20 percent had effective discharge estimates that were less than the station's average mean daily discharge. Such low magnitude flow events are not usually associated with a stream's dominant discharge. Thus, geomorphic assessments and bankfull computations are required to further assess whether these and other effective discharge values are representative of the 20 individual streams' dominant discharges. Due to the small sample size, regression analyses relating specific effective discharge parameters to channel slope and watershed area were inconclusive. Effective discharge computations are particularly sensitive to how the sediment rating curve used in the computation is developed and the number of discharge classes used in the computation. The sampling frequency and duration over which the sediment samples used to create sediment rating curves also may influence effective discharge computations significantly. Thus, while stream restoration personnel will likely continue to use these and other effective discharge values as part of several tools in hydraulic and channel design applications, uncertainties in their use should be acknowledged and undue weight should not be assigned these values, as they cannot yet be expected to yield fully reliable results in applications. Like previous researchers, we recommend more comprehensive investigations that compare effective discharge estimates to bankfull discharges in combination with a geomorphic assessment of each stream's characteristics to yield a better understanding of whether currently computed effective discharge values adequately represent dominant discharges in Illinois. Suspended sediment represents the dominant sediment load in most Illinois streams. In some cases, effective discharge computations based on total loads or bed material loads may be more appropriate than using suspended sediment loads analyzed here. However, the bed load, bed material, bank material, local channel slope, and channel cross-section information required to perform these computations and analyses are almost nonexistent. While many of these data can be collected at selected stream locations, inherent difficulties in estimating bed loads in Illinois streams make this approach unfeasible. New technologies for sampling or estimating bed load most likely would need to be developed and tested. This analysis presents a comprehensive assessment of effective discharges based on the available suspended sediment and flow data in Illinois. Long-term sediment data sets are needed at more stream locations to more fully estimate and understand effective and dominant discharges in Illinois streams. The greatest need for additional data is for smaller watersheds less than approximately 200 mi<SUP>2 </SUP>because most potential applications of the effective discharge concept in stable channel design are for smaller watersheds. Smaller watersheds also may have significantly different geomorphic characteristics and effective discharges may behave differently than those in larger watersheds. The Illinois State Water Survey currently is measuring suspended sediment at gaging stations on 13 small watersheds, which could prove very useful in effective discharge analysis as longer data records become available at these sites.