Des Plaines River Watershed

The Des Plaines River watershed covers 1,455 square miles (or 931,489 acres) in northeastern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin. The Des Plaines River begins near Union Grove, Wisconsin and flows south through Racine and Kenosha Counties in Wisconsin and Lake, Cook, and Will Counties in Illinois.

The river joins the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in Lockport, Illinois and flows west through Joliet, before converging with the Kankakee River to form the Illinois River. The Illinois River then flows into the Mississippi River, which flows south to the Gulf of Mexico.

DesPlainesRiverWatershed_Location Map3

Des Plaines River Watershed Plan Committee

The Des Plaines River Watershed Plan Committee coordinates and facilitates implementation of the recommendations of the Des Plaines River Watershed-Based Plan by providing a forum for knowledge-sharing and coordination among stakeholders, measuring and tracking watershed plan effectiveness, and periodically updating the watershed-based plan.  It is an ad hoc committee of watershed stakeholders that does not require formal membership or dues and its meetings are open to the public.

Plan Committee Meeting Summaries

Des Plaines River Watershed-Based Plan

The Des Plaines River Watershed-Based Plan covers approximately 235 square miles (150,361 acres) in Lake and Cook Counties in Illinois and Kenosha County, Wisconsin.

The purpose of the Des Plaines River Watershed-Based Plan is to reduce the impacts of water pollution and flood damage; and restore watershed lakes, streams and wetlands to healthy condition. Funding for this plan was provided, in part, by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency through Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, and the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission.

  1. Des Plaines River Watershed Executive Summary                                         
  2. Des Plaines River Watershed-Based Plan
  3. Des Plaines River Watershed WebApplication

Small Watershed Assessment and Action Plan

The Small Watershed Assessment and Action Plan (SWAAP) assesses current on-the-ground conditions and geospatial data for areas in and around Loch Lomond in Mundelein and Buffalo Creek in Long Grove and Buffalo Grove, Illinois. The detailed assessments presented in this SWAAP are implementable recommendations with conceptual project designs, supported with project definition, probable cost and purported water quality improvement benefits in order for stakeholders to implement or secure future funding for project implementation.

For more information, contact Ashley Strelcheck, 847-377-7710
or Mike Prusila, 847-377-7713