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Here is a link that describes it much differently.

You might want to clarify with her further.

http://tycho.knowlton.ohio-state.edu/ibiscore.html

 

Thanks Mike!

If I understand how the samplings work, this 2016 score of 50 ( down from 2011 score of 51) will be combined

with the score of the EPA sampling team's findings (water sample and bug study) of the same sites for a combined total score,

which in the end gives the creek it's rating, which has been rated as a Class B stream over the years.

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Guest Jake B

Gentlemen, let me first introduce myself. My name is Jake Bresson and I am from the northern Illinois area and in the last couple years have made Kilbuck Creek a regular in my list of waters I fish. I was made aware of the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance through good friend Jonn Graham but for a while was probably just too wrapped up in life to join or even take a peak at what you guys do. The other night I spoke with Jonn about a variety of things for the coming fishing season and towards the end of the conversation he mentioned this thread on the ISA website about the Kilbuck creek and the pollution coming out of the garbage dump near the creek. When he mentioned it, I knew right then I had to check this thread out and most likely join up with the ISA. In the approximately 3 years that I have been fishing the Buck I have noticed a number of times when the water seemed much cloudier than it should be both in dry periods and after light rains. Being that I am still learning the characteristics of the creek and the fact I have never fished upstream from the garbage dump I was torn between the stain being a normal characteristic of Kilbuck and wanting to blame the dump for the lack of water clarity but I never really had much to go on. After reading this thread and seeing the amazing work being done, thank you Terry, I would like to know what if anything I could do to help. I do have a question that may be too late but if not could help the situation, does anyone know if there has been any talk of using an incinerator at these landfills? I remember probably 15 years ago when there was a battle going on in the Rochelle area about expanding the dump east of the city there was a brief discussion of buying an incinerator. Because of the upfront cost, they decided against it even though in the long run it could have been a great thing and very cost effective as well as being much more environmentally friendly.

 

 

Anyhow, I look forward to reading the stories you guys have posted as well as future postings and I hope to have a few adventures of my own to share with you folks. In the meantime, please let me know how I can help!

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please let me know how I can help!

 

First of all, Welcome to the ISA!!!

Just taking that first step and recognizing that there is something wrong with Kilbuck is a step in the right direction. Thanks!

It has been bit frustrating for me knowing that something is wrong the creek but being the only one to ever file a complaint with the IEPA.

That changed this year (Nov. 28, 2016) when another local fisherman filed a complaint and then the IEPA called me on the fisherman's recommendation

looking for answers. The more people who become aware of this problem the better.

Hope to see you at this meet...

 

I am planning to have a breakfast meeting get together (byob) at 9am. on Saturday, January 14, 2017 @ the

11th, Street Cafe at the corner of Hwy-251 and Blackhawk Rd.

The meeting is for all who are concerned with what is happening with Kilbuck Creek.

I will just be going over the history of when this all began, and to bring everybody up to speed of what is going on

as for as who has been contacted and what is being done.

Please try to attend if you can. I would love to fill the cafe.

It's our World and our water, and it's time for this to stop.

More info to come

 

Again thanks for caring and hope to see on the 1/14/17

We'll talk.

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Guest Jake B

Thanks for the warm welcome Terry! I will certainly do my best to make it to the meeting but currently I am not scheduled to be home from work until mid afternoon on the 14th. I will see if I can shorten my day so I can make it to the meeting. Perhaps the next time I see the water looking dirty when it shouldn't be I will have to follow suit and file a complaint with the IEPA.

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Perhaps the next time I see the water looking dirty when it shouldn't be I will have to follow suit and file a complaint with the IEPA.

 

Yes, that would seem to be the course of action for 2017. The more that complain, the better.

I should probably have signs made up and posted on Kilbuck's banks...

"If it doesn't look right, it's not. Report it. IEPA 815-987-7760"

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Guest Jake B

Signs are a great idea! I would be willing to bet if people saw the signs they would give more thought to the cloudy water. Where would you be able to post them, in the parks?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Held the Kilbuck Creek Breakfast Meet today and had a good turnout. There were 8 of us at the table and the food was pretty damn good. Things we discussed were having a sit-down meeting with the IEPA. This staining and sedimentation build up in Kilbuck Creek is a problem and does not appear to be going away, and neither are we. We feel a meeting with the IEPA will save us all, including the IEPA, from just performing a song & dance routine of filling reports and complaints that gets nothing accomplished but wasting time.

We plan to put a lot of focus on the Black Sandshell Mussel that inhabits the lower stretch of the Kish that is being effected by the stainings. The Black Sandshell Mussel is an endangered species. Also, we discussed having signs made up to put along the banks of the Buck that will encourage people to file a report with the EPA if the creek does not look right. It should also be noted that I will be attempting to contact Cindy Skrunkrud who is an advocate of the Kishwaukee River. Cindy is the Clean Water Program Director of the Illinois chapter of the Sierra Club. She works with Sierra Club members, citizens, public officials and business leaders throughout Illinois to advocate for sustainable development/redevelopment, improved wastewater treatment, industrial pollution prevention, protection of natural and agricultural lands, and river restoration to better protect the water quality of our state's lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands. Sounds like a good person to have on our team.
Don't be afraid to contact me and find out when the next Kilbuck Meet will be. This resource is yours whether you use it or not. It's time to take it back.
THANKS to all who attended today.
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Message received from IDNR's Karen Rivera....

 

"Our folks in Springfield are also investigating. I sent that information to our office of Environmental Damage and they are looking into it.

They will likely look at the permit and look at any or all complaints and water quality investigations."

 

Thanks Karen!

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  • 2 months later...

I drove by Kilbuck earlier in the week to take my monthly pics of the creeks condition.

The discharge stream had the blueish tint in it. That would make the second time this year. I'm not sure

what it is but I suppose it's some kind of treatment the landfill puts in.

 

 

I decided to take a drive by the park to check clarity downstream and found that some jerkwater dumped

a load of garbage in the roadside ditch that drains into the creek

 

 

Of course seeing this upset me and I put out a call to a few Kilbuck Creek Keepers to inform that I would be out

there on Saturday, April 8, to do a clean-up of the area. The rivers are high so why not?

Paul T. (the Senior version) showed up to help out and after swallowing a couple donuts, together we mess cleaned up.

Snapped a few pics for Mr. Mike Clifford. Hope these will work......

 

 

 

 

After finishing up there was of course time to wet a line

 

 

FPWC has done an outstanding job of posting our signs and making good use of the extra signs they asked me for by putting them in well populated areas for all to see

 

 

Some items collected were.... steel bed frame, pull out sleeper chair, Jude's Play School fire truck, 2 kids chairs,

2 five gallon construction buckets full of crap, a catalytic converter, TV, and then your usual crap of beer cans, water bottles and such.

 

Thanks to Paul for lending a hand. I really appreciate it.

 

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

It's happening again!

 

 

I thought I was going to chase some smallies until I saw this....

 

 

 

Upstream of the landfill.....

 

 

 

Put in a call to my EPA guy (cell phone) waiting to hear back.

@ HWY 251....

 

 

 

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  • 3 months later...

Kilbuck Creek: A theory

Let me refresh your memory with this pic >

The pic shows a stain coming out of a tributary and seeping into Kilbuck Creek.

About a 1/4 of a mile downstream of this tributary is the old Johnson Mill Dam. >

I believe the stain is being held up at the dam and is being slowly released (through a breach) to the lower part of Kilbuck Creek

creating a constant stain to the lower part of Kilbuck Creek below the dam.

If the dam was removed and the creeks water was allowed to flow freely, would this improve the clarity to the lower part of the creek allowing the stain to be filtered naturally?

Thoughts...

 

 

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