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| Fox River
Watershed Investigation, Stratton Dam to the Illinois River |
| Principal
Investigators: S.
McConkey, M. Machesky, and V. Knapp |
| Funded
by Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency,
4/1/2002 - 6/30/2003 |
| ABSTRACT:
In consultation with the Fox River Study Group, the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) has proposed a multi-phase water quality study of the Fox River watershed from Stratton Dam to the Illinois River confluence. The ultimate objective of the full study is to identify significant watershed issues and implement a watershed plan that includes data collection, model development, and monitoring. Research findings will provide guidance for public and private planners and decision-makers. At the request of the Fox River Study Group, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has provided funding for ISWS to conduct phase one of the study, which entails compilation and review of relevant information to identify significant water quality concerns, available data, and data gaps. A database of water quality and attendant data will be compiled to serve as a foundation for modeling, analysis, and comparative study. Throughout the project, ISWS staff will meet with the Fox River Study Group and provide project updates for review and comment. |
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| Fox River Watershed Investigation, Stratton Dam to the Illinois River - Phase II |
| Principal
Investigators: S.
McConkey, L. Lin, A. Bartosova, J. Singh |
| Funded
by Fox River Study Group,
11/1/2003 – 4/30/2004 |
| ABSTRACT:
In consultation with the Fox River Study Group, the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) has proposed a multi-phase water quality study of the Fox River watershed from Stratton Dam to the Illinois River confluence. The ultimate objective of the full study is to identify significant watershed issues and implement a watershed plan that includes data collection, model development, and monitoring. At the request of the Fox River Study Group, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency provided funding for ISWS to conduct phase one of the study which is now complete. The full report Fox River Watershed Investigation – Stratton Dam to the Illinois River: Water Quality Issues and Data Report to the Fox River Study Group, Inc., is posted at the web site http://ilrdss.sws.uiuc.edu/fox. The Fox River Study Group has continued supporting the project through local funds and the current work includes development of data sets for the water quality models and customizing the model framework to meet study needs. |
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| Hurricane
Creek Water Quality Monitoring |
| Principal
Investigator: L.
Keefer |
| Field
and Data Processing: S. Curtis, K. Rennels, B. Rios, A. Russell, and J. Slowikowski |
| Funded
by Illinois
Department of Natural Resources, Ecosystem Program,
9/1/1999 - 12/31/2002 |
| ABSTRACT:
Erosion and nitrates are an ongoing concern of the residents of the Embarras River watershed as stated in the Embarras River Management Association's Resource Management Plan issued in 1996. The Illinois State Water Survey installed three streamgaging monitoring stations in the watershed to monitor streamflow and to collect sediment, nitrate, and pesticide samples to determine the current delivery of streamflow, sediment, and nitrate from the Hurricane Creek watershed. Hurricane Creek also is a Pilot Watershed Program watershed. |
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| Hydrologic,
Sediment, and Nutrient Monitoring for the Interagency
Pilot Watershed Program |
| Principal
Investigators: L.
Keefer, M. Demissie, and N. Bhowmik |
| Field
and Data Processing: R. Allgire, S. Curtis, B. Rios, A. Russell, and J. Slowikowski |
| Funded
by Illinois Department
of Natural Resources, Watershed Management Section,
2/1/2000 - 6/30/2003 |
| ABSTRACT:
Hydrology, sediment, and nutrients are monitored in two watersheds identified by the Interagency Pilot Watershed Program Task Force, and these data will be used to evaluate cumulative effects of best management practices (BMPs) implemented by four state and federal agency programs. These monitoring efforts, in collaboration with other researchers, will determine whether intensively applied BMPs affect water quality and wildlife habitat. Monitoring programs were established in the Big Creek watershed (Cache River) and Sugar Creek watershed (Kaskaskia) to collect sediment and nutrient data during the project's implementation phase. |
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| Modeling, Hydrology,
Sediment and Agricultural Chemicals in Illinois Watersheds |
| Principal
Investigators: D. Borah
and R. Xia, ISWS and H. Mitasova, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
| Field
and Data Processing: M. Bera |
| Funded
by Illinois Council
on Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR) - Strategic
Research Initiative on Water Quality (WQ-SRI)
since June 1995 (ongoing) |
| ABSTRACT:
In FY00- FY01, the Dynamic Watershed Simulation Model (DWSM) was enhanced to simulate surface and sub-surface storm water runoff, propagation of flood waves, upland soil erosion, sediment transport, and agricultural chemical transport in agricultural watersheds. Different model components were calibrated and validated on the Big Ditch, Upper Sangamon River, and Court Creek watersheds in Illinois. The model was used to prioritize sub-watersheds of the Court Creek watershed based on unit-width peak flow and sediment yield to be used for restorations under the multi-agency Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. In FY02, 11 watershed-scale nonpoint-source pollution models (SWAT, HSPF, AGNPS, AnnAGNPS, ANSWERS, ANSWERS-Continuous, PRMS, KINEROS, DWSM, CASC2D, and MIKE SHE) were reviewed, and their mathematical formulations were compiled. A scientific review panel of experts in hydrologic and nonpoint-source pollution modeling is being identified to help select the most promising models for Illinois watersheds through an unbiased process. The panel also will serve in an advisory capacity on model evaluation criteria. In FY03, the selected models will be evaluated on several Illinois watersheds following the established criteria. |
| Recent
Publications:
Borah D.K., R. Xia, and M. Bera. 2002. DWSM – A Dynamic
Watershed Simulation Model. Chapter 5 In: Mathematical
Models of Small Watershed Hydrology and Applications. Ed. V.P. Singh and
D.K. Frevert. Water Resources Publications, LLC, Englewood, CO: 113-166.
Borah, D.K., M. Demissie, and L. Keefer. 2002. AGNPS-based
assessment of the impact of BMPs on nitrate-nitrogen discharging into an
Illinois water supply lake. Water
International, International Water Resources Association 27(2): 255-265.
Borah, D.K., and M. Bera. 2000. Hydrologic Modeling of the Court Creek Watershed. Contract Report
2000-04. Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign, IL, 63p.
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| Illinois River Basin Restoration Project; Watershed & Pool Assessments |
| Principal
Investigator: B. White |
| Field
and Data Processing: J. Beardsley, L. Duong, and J. Rodsater |
| Funded
by Illinois Department of Natural Resources,
10/1/2003 – 6/30/2004 |
| ABSTRACT:
The Illinois River Basin Restoration Project; Watershed & Pool Assessments was funded to conduct assessment of selected pools and tributary watersheds within the Illinois River Basin in support of the Illinois River Ecosystem Restoration Study. Central to these restoration efforts will be a pool and watershed assessment which will help identify the most problematic sites and areas in immediate need for construction/restoration within the basin based upon watershed scale analysis of stream instability. The Illinois State Water Survey has the experience in the State of Illinois at evaluating and restoring stream segments using contemporary restoration analysis and construction/restoration techniques. The scope of the project will be to perform the assessments for selected pools along the Illinois River and for several specific watersheds over the next 5 years to identify project locations for restoration related projects to meet overall goals of the Illinois River Ecosystem Restoration objectives. |
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| Illinois
River Watershed Hydrologic Model Development |
| Principal
Investigator: M. Demissie |
| Funded
by US Army Corps of Engineers,
9/30/2001 - 9/28/2002 |
| ABSTRACT:
The Illinois State Water Survey has initiated the development of hydrologic model for the Illinois River basin as a component of the Illinois Rivers Decision Support System developed for organizing and disseminating information in support of the Illinois River Ecosystem Restoration project and the Illinois Rivers 2020 program. The model will be developed within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's BASINS framework. The initial phase involves delineating the Illinois River watershed into sub-basins and developing a basinwide HSPF model. The model will be calibrated for two sub-basins to guide parameter selection for entire basins. A preliminary hydrologic model for the entire basin will be improved continuously by calibrating for more sub-basins. |
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| Sediment
and Nutrient Monitoring at Selected Watersheds within the Illinois River Watershed for Evaluating the
Effectiveness of the Illinois River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
(CREP) |
| Principal
Investigators: M. Demissie and L.
Keefer |
| Field
and Data Processing: B. Rios, A. Russell, J. Slowikowski, T. Snider and K. Stevenson |
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Funded
by Illinois
Department of Natural Resources,
Watershed Management Section, 11/30/1998 - 6/30/2003
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| ABSTRACT:
This project is operating a sediment and nutrient monitoring program within the Illinois River basin that can produce sufficient data to evaluate the results from the implementation of the Illinois River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). The Illinois River CREP is a result of an agreement between the State of Illinois and the United States Department of Agriculture to implement conservation practices in the Illinois River watershed over a 15-year period to improve water quality and habitat for wildlife. |
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| Sediment
and Water Quality Monitoring in the Vermilion River
and Little Vermilion River Watersheds |
| Principal
Investigators: L.
Keefer and B. Bogner |
| Field
and Data Processing: S. Curtis and K. Rennels |
| Funded
by Illinois
Department of Natural Resources, Ecosystem Program,
4/1/1999 - 12/31/2002 |
| ABSTRACT:
Sediment and high nitrate concentrations are alleged to be impairing the drinking water supplies and quality in Lake Vermilion and the Georgetown Reservoirs. A first step toward defining the problem is to develop a baseline data set on sediment and nitrate delivery to the reservoirs over time. The Illinois State Water Survey operates one streamgaging station on the Little Vermilion River upstream of the Georgetown Reservoir to collect sediment and nitrate samples. Sediment and nitrate samples also are being collected from three U.S. Geological Survey streamgaging station upstream of Lake Vermilion. Data collection will continue for two years. |
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| Watershed Modeling to Evaluate Water
Quality at Intakes of Small Drinking Water System |
| Principal
Investigators: D. Borah and E. Krug |
| Field
and Data Processing: M. Bera |
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Funded
by Midwest Technology Assistance Center, 3/2/2004 – 3/25/2005
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| ABSTRACT:
The overall goal is to develop models as source-water protection assessment tools for operators of small Midwestern surface water supply systems and test the modeling system on an Illinois watershed while assessing and evaluating water quantities and qualities at intakes of all the small public water supplies within the watershed. Based on ongoing research of the P.I.s, the watershed scale continuous model SWAT is selected for the modeling system. It will be expanded with a storm event component. The 3,200 square mile Little Wabash River in southeastern Illinois is chosen for its watershed attributes and its density of small public water supplies. The modeling system will be also used to evaluate alternative watershed management scenarios in protecting or improving water quantities and qualities at the intakes. |
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| Watershed
Monitoring for the Lake Decatur Watershed |
| Principal
Investigators: L.
Keefer and M. Demissie |
| Field
and Data Processing: E.
Bauer, S. Jones and J. Stevens |
| Funded
by a grant from the City
of Decatur, Illinois since 1993 (ongoing) |
| ABSTRACT:
This project continues to operate the monitoring network established in the Lake Decatur watershed in 1993. Water samples are collected at six stations for nitrate analysis, and two of these stations are sampled bi-weekly for arsenic, boron, sulfur, and nonvolatile organic compounds. Nitrate data collected will be compared with prior years of data and reported. |
| Recent
Publication: Keefer, L. and M. Demissie. 2002. Watershed Monitoring for the Lake Decatur Watershed, 1999-2000. Illinois State Water Survey Contract Report 2002-01. |
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| Watershed
Monitoring in Support of Water Quality Strategic Research Initiative |
| Principal
Investigator: L.
Keefer |
| Field
and Data Processing: R. Allgire, E. Bauer, B. Rios, A. Russell, and J. Slowikowski |
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Funded
by C-FAR - Water
Quality Strategic Research Initiative (WQ-SRI), 10/31/2000 - 6/30/2003
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| ABSTRACT:
Several organizations and agencies are sponsoring various projects to support research and modeling efforts that address the quantification of nutrients and sediment in Illinois watersheds to determine mass balances. This project is collecting intensive and reliable stream data for quantitative analyses and modeling research to address watershed mass balance issues. It builds on data collection efforts already established and funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the City of Decatur. Due to this coordinated effort, streamflow, sediment, and nutrient data will be available to researchers for two watershed in Illinois: Upper Sangamon River and Cache River-Big Creek. This project complements studies being conducted in the best management practices and modeling groups or the Mass Balance Team of the Water Quality-SRI by providing a surface water component of a mass balance study. |
| Recent
Publication: WQ-SRI Mass Balance Tile and Watershed Monitoring |
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