Kankakee River Sediment Models

[Mike Clifford]

There was discussion on this at the ISA Meeting last night.

Here is some hard data to chew on, from 2004.

 

This report is a continuation of the applied research initiated by Illinois State Water

Survey (ISWS) researchers on the evaluation of the hydraulics, sediment transport, and

hydrology of the Kankakee River basin in Illinois. For this specific project, HEC-6 modeling has been completed for the main stem of the Kankakee River in Illinois from the Stateline Bridge to the Kankakee Dam in Kankakee.

 

[Mike Clifford]

As we discussed with Jim Sweeney from IN, if any changes are going to be made, that MUST come from IL, and our current leaders are not doing anything to address the problems...nothing at all.

 

That means it is up to us, as citizens and sportsmen to make something happen.

 

We should kick those questions around, for sure.

 

In the meantime, I will be contacting those involved in the studies for the purpose of a public awareness campaign, as we spoke about.

 

That feeling of doom and gloom has dogged us for a long time, and now we're going to need a lot of help if we're going to turn it around.

[Mike Clifford]

Sedimentation removal is included in many dam removal projects.

 

In 2007, the following document was published that summarizes public safety evaluations.

 

Lots of good information in this one.

 

Of the 25 dams assessed, 15 dams were studied for potential

removal. Dams providing hydropower, power plant cooling water,

or major upstream recreation were not considered for potential

removal.

The main Kankakee dam was not considered, as there is major "upstream recreation".

Boat races, marinas, you name it.

That dam is likely there for eternity, if only for the hydropower operations.

 

[Mike Clifford]

When I spoke of creating "places worth caring about" and how we're doing a poor job in this regard and should have started "2 days before yesterday" in turning around this mindset, it meant that we have been left holding the bag due to some of the biggest misallocations of resources in this nation's history.

The Kankakee River is not going to get meanders re-installed in the state of Indiana in our lifetime.

That is what will save the river, not sucking the sand out, removing dams or creating wildlife refuges. As big a supporter as I have been of the refuge plan over the years, it is simply a small part of a much bigger problem that was created the moment those steam shovels took the first scoop.

Mega-dairies are popping up in Illinois because we have allowed them access through apathy and ignorance to the state legislative process.

The politicians didn't do it.

The IL Dept. of Agriculture didn't do it.

The citizens of Illinois allow it to take place by doing absolutely nothing.

 

The burden on us is to educate as many as we can for as long as we can, in the hope that our children and grandchildren will never utter those words... "and we should have started 2 days before yesterday".

 

That day is today.

If our resources are not left better than we found them, then we deserve every adjective they can muster to describe our inattention to what's important.

The stage is ours and the spotlight gets brighter every day.