Illinois EPA Director participates in groundbreaking ceremony at Otter Lake

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. --- Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director Doug Scott was on hand today to help break ground for a new in-lake sedimentation dam at Otter Lake in Girard.  Director Scott was joined by State Sen. Deanna Demuzio (D-Carlinville), State Rep. Gary Hannig (D-Litchfield), Otter Lake Water Commissioners, Illinois Lake Management Association Board members, and local officials.

 

The low flow dam will be installed in the north end of the lake, about three miles upstream of the bridge.  This will create a basin designed to address sediment and pollution during smaller rain event, making the benefits cumulative in nature.  The Water Commission will be able to clean out the basin on a regular basis, enclosing the sediment to a centralized location instead of throughout the lake. The dam will be designed to overflow during large rain events, but a significant amount of the sedimentation is delivered to lakes and streams during smaller rain-events. 

 

The project complements other water quality improvements previously made at Otter Lake, including the planting of up to 500 trees annually on the shoreline for the past five years, rip-rap and other shoreline restoration, and the installation of four Solar Bee in-lake mixing devices to address algae growth, as well as ongoing lake monitoring.  The new in-lake sedimentation dam will reduce the sediment and nutrient loading into the lake, resulting in better water quality, reduced nuisance algae conditions and increased lake longevity. Otter Lake serves over 17,000 public water supply customers in Macoupin, Sangamon and Christian counties communities. 

 

This project is unique in that it is one of the first to combine both state Illinois Clean Lakes Program funding with federal Section 319 funds. 

 

The grant is being provided through the Illinois EPA as part of Section 319 of the Federal Clean Water Act.  The purpose of the Illinois EPA's Section 319 Program is to work with local government and other organizations to protect water quality in Illinois through the control of non-point source pollution. The program provides funds to implement projects that utilize cost-effective best management practices to protect Illinois' water resources.

 

"Such locally-based efforts make communities better places to live and work, improve the local economy and typify the basic premise of our Opportunity Returns initiative," said Governor Rod R. Blagojevich. 

"This project is important to the communities that rely on Otter Lake and will help assure better water quality and capacity into the future," said Sen. Demuzio.

 

"This is a good example of how the state can assist local communities and service districts on projects that help the environment," said Rep. Hannig.

 

"Through the 319 Program we have been able to fund projects annually around the state," said Illinois EPA Director Doug Scott.  "This project will help communities in Macoupin and Sangamon Counties provide long-term water quality benefits to Otter Lake.  In the long run, this project should help these communities implement the most cost effective water quality improvement projects possible."

 

Opportunity Returns is Gov. Blagojevich's economic development plan designed to spur economic growth and create jobs in the region. The regional economic development plan is the most aggressive, comprehensive approach to creating jobs in Illinois. Opportunity Returns contains tangible actions to make each region more accessible, more marketable, more entrepreneurial and more attractive to business.  Funding of natural resources improvements, such as those awarded through the 319 Program, make Illinois a better place to live and work.

 

During his administration, Gov. Blagojevich has been committed to improving the environment for Illinois citizens.  As part of his 2006 State of the State address, the governor proposed a plan to drastically reduce mercury emissions from power plants by 90 percent by June 30, 2009.  This ambitious plan to protect Illinois families from harmful mercury emissions will provide tougher standards than those proposed by the federal government. 

 

 

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