Great Lakes Ravine Restoration & Monitoring Program

Synopsis

A series of large ravines exist along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Northern Illinois. These ravines contribute significant volumes of urban stormwater runoff and sediment. Northwater staff was engaged in a collaborative effort to develop standard water quality, geomorphic, and biologic assessment protocols designed to evaluate and monitor these severely eroding ravines.

Client(s):

Alliance for the Great Lakes
Completion Date:

2009
Services:

Water Resources, Water Supply
Market/Sector:

Government, NGO
Location:

Northern Illinois

Project Description

Lake Michigan is a significant regional ecological and water supply resource. Lake water quality is being impacted at the local level from ravine runoff and erosion along the shoreline in Northern Illinois. To address this issue, the Alliance for the Great Lakes partnered with interest groups in an effort to restore and improve these critical ravine systems.

To support the initiative, Northwater staff was retained as technical consultants in a collaborative effort to develop standard water quality, geomorphic and biologic assessment protocols and evaluate and monitor dozens of severely eroding ravines delivering sediment and pollutants into Lake Michigan. Northwater worked with a diverse team of organizations and professionals to evaluate existing data and to develop a series of monitoring protocols. Northwater also provided land manager training and a report and maps representing existing ravine conditions. Ravine stability maps have been used to secure Great Lake Restoration Funds and have become a baseline from which to measure progress.