Silver Creek Watershed is located in Cook & DuPage Counties, Illinois
The Silver Creek Watershed Committee, along with the Village of Melrose
Park, applied for and received a United States Environmental Protection
(USEPA) Section 319(h) of the Clean Water Act administrated through the
Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency (Illinois EPA). The Section 319(h)
grant was received to prepare an Illinois EPA approved
comprehensive watershed-based plan for Silver Creek, a tributary of the
Des Plaines River.
Silver Creek Watershed is 10.6 square miles of highly urbanized area located in both Cook and DuPage counties. The Silver Creek Watershed-based Plan is a stakeholder driven plan that was developed to address nonpoint source pollution, improve water quality and address other environmental concerns in the Silver Creek watershed. The Plan was completed in 2016.
There are eight (8) major Illinois municipalities and townships within the Silver Creek Watershed. These communities include Bensenville, Chicago (O’Hare Airport), Franklin Park, Leyden Township, Maywood, Melrose Park, Northlake, and Wood Dale.
Silver Creek Watershed is 10.6 square miles of highly urbanized area located in both Cook and DuPage counties. The Silver Creek Watershed-based Plan is a stakeholder driven plan that was developed to address nonpoint source pollution, improve water quality and address other environmental concerns in the Silver Creek watershed. The Plan was completed in 2016.
There are eight (8) major Illinois municipalities and townships within the Silver Creek Watershed. These communities include Bensenville, Chicago (O’Hare Airport), Franklin Park, Leyden Township, Maywood, Melrose Park, Northlake, and Wood Dale.
The Silver Creek Watershed Committee continues to connect with local stakeholders to see that elements of the Watershed Plan can be fulfilled.
This website provides information to engage the community in the protecting the health of our watershed.
Below is a map showing the communities within the Silver Creek Watershed:
This website provides information to engage the community in the protecting the health of our watershed.
Below is a map showing the communities within the Silver Creek Watershed:
Goals of the Watershed Plan
• To protect and improve the water quality, ecological health, aquatic habitat, aesthetic value, and other benefits of Silver Creek for the watershed stakeholders.
• To engage municipalities, educational institutions, government agencies, residents, and private enterprises with a common goal to improve and protect Silver Creek.
• To observe measurable progress in the improvement of Silver Creek over time.
• To convert the aquatic life use from non-support into full support per the Illinois EPA evaluation criteria.
• To achieve the Pollutant Load Reduction Targets described in this report for the Silver Creek Watershed.
• To engage municipalities, educational institutions, government agencies, residents, and private enterprises with a common goal to improve and protect Silver Creek.
• To observe measurable progress in the improvement of Silver Creek over time.
• To convert the aquatic life use from non-support into full support per the Illinois EPA evaluation criteria.
• To achieve the Pollutant Load Reduction Targets described in this report for the Silver Creek Watershed.
• To identify and implement improvements to allow Silver Creek to be converted from a degraded system to a community asset within the watershed.
Objectives of the Watershed Plan
• Improve the water quality of Silver Creek through land acquisition, property buyout, land preservation, and land protection within the stream corridor to alleviate the severe channel encroachment that has occurred through development.
• Implement policies to encourage chloride reduction programs, stormwater best management practices for runoff control,
• Harness the energy for local flood reduction relieve by incorporating water quality improvement measures in flood control initiatives to provide multiple benefits to enhance, protect, restore, and naturalize Silver Creek.
• Education government officials, engineers, planners to modify past practices of stream channel containment within extensive underground conveyance systems and to daylight the stream for multiple benefits including aesthetics, provision of community amenities, and water quality improvement.
• Encourage policies to land preservation and restoration within the watershed for the protection of Silver Creek.
• Encourage watershed units of government to adopt a Green Infrastructure Plan and Conservation Design planning to help inform future land use decisions, and reduce the potential for detrimental water quality impacts.
• Implement innovative best management practices as demonstrations projects to protect and enhance the stream.
• Encourage the formation of environmental organizations within each municipality to help guide the protection of Silver Creek and to identify opportunities for stream improvement.
• Educate residents, school children, and other stakeholders to get a vision for how the protection of Silver Creek can benefit the communities.
• Maximize the effectiveness of Cook County and DuPage County Stormwater Ordinances that protect riparian / wetland buffers, conservation easements, and stormwater Best Management Practices.
• Encourage continued quarterly meetings among municipalities to work together to solve not only flood reduction issues but also Silver Creek enhancement opportunities.
• Support limited funding for a part-time Watershed Coordinator to implement the Silver Creek Watershed Plan, to participate in relevant meetings, and to encourage stakeholders to adopt recommended practices.
• Promote watershed-wide monitoring to refine causes and sources of impairment such as dissolved oxygen, nutrients, total suspended solids, fecal coliform bacteria, etc.
• Implement policies to encourage chloride reduction programs, stormwater best management practices for runoff control,
• Harness the energy for local flood reduction relieve by incorporating water quality improvement measures in flood control initiatives to provide multiple benefits to enhance, protect, restore, and naturalize Silver Creek.
• Education government officials, engineers, planners to modify past practices of stream channel containment within extensive underground conveyance systems and to daylight the stream for multiple benefits including aesthetics, provision of community amenities, and water quality improvement.
• Encourage policies to land preservation and restoration within the watershed for the protection of Silver Creek.
• Encourage watershed units of government to adopt a Green Infrastructure Plan and Conservation Design planning to help inform future land use decisions, and reduce the potential for detrimental water quality impacts.
• Implement innovative best management practices as demonstrations projects to protect and enhance the stream.
• Encourage the formation of environmental organizations within each municipality to help guide the protection of Silver Creek and to identify opportunities for stream improvement.
• Educate residents, school children, and other stakeholders to get a vision for how the protection of Silver Creek can benefit the communities.
• Maximize the effectiveness of Cook County and DuPage County Stormwater Ordinances that protect riparian / wetland buffers, conservation easements, and stormwater Best Management Practices.
• Encourage continued quarterly meetings among municipalities to work together to solve not only flood reduction issues but also Silver Creek enhancement opportunities.
• Support limited funding for a part-time Watershed Coordinator to implement the Silver Creek Watershed Plan, to participate in relevant meetings, and to encourage stakeholders to adopt recommended practices.
• Promote watershed-wide monitoring to refine causes and sources of impairment such as dissolved oxygen, nutrients, total suspended solids, fecal coliform bacteria, etc.
Silver Creek Phase 5 Streambank Stabilization Project
Above: Phase 5 Concept Plan (Construction expected 2021)
Funding for this project is provided, in part, by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency through Section 319 of the Clean Water act. The project will stabilize eroding streambanks, improve water quality, enhance aquatic habitat, and convert existing concrete banks into naturally vegetated areas.
Funding for this project is provided, in part, by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency through Section 319 of the Clean Water act. The project will stabilize eroding streambanks, improve water quality, enhance aquatic habitat, and convert existing concrete banks into naturally vegetated areas.
Silver Creek Phase 5 Streambank Stabilization Project is being undertaken by the Village of Melrose Park to protect and improve the water quality of Silver Creek. The project site is located south of Winston Plaza, Melrose Park. The construction area includes the westerly half alongside Winston Plaza, east of 15th Avenue.
We are asking residents of the area to take part in a survey to provide feedback for this project.
CLICK HERE
to take the online survey.
We are asking residents of the area to take part in a survey to provide feedback for this project.
CLICK HERE
to take the online survey.
Spill Emergency Contacts for the Silver Creek Watershed
Cook County 24-Hour Spill Response Hotline: 312-787-3575 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
Locations Include Franklin Park, Leyden Township, Melrose Park, Maywood, Chicago
DuPage County 24-Hour Spill Response Hotline: (630) 407-6800 DuPage County Stormwater Management
Locations Include parts of Wood Dale, Bensenville
Locations Include Franklin Park, Leyden Township, Melrose Park, Maywood, Chicago
DuPage County 24-Hour Spill Response Hotline: (630) 407-6800 DuPage County Stormwater Management
Locations Include parts of Wood Dale, Bensenville