Illinois Groundwater Association Newsletter
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ILLINOIS GROUNDWATER ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER IGA NEWS FROM THE CHAIR Volume 20, No. 1 Our Association turns 21 this year and I’m feeling very positive about our Spring 2004 upcoming meeting and the overall direction. To assess the status of the Contents IGA and to assure we are moving forward, I offer the following overview. ¾ IGA News When we started back in 1983, our membership grew rapidly. By 1985, we ¾ What’s Happening had 227 members. Despite such a strong start, our membership numbers in Illinois Groundwater haven’t kept pace. Since 1996, we’ve had about 80 dues-paying members annually. A very dedicated and active 80 I might add, but 80 none the less. ¾ Agency and Regulatory Update Since 2001, our postal and e-mail lists have increased and last year they ¾ Focus on Illinois Groundwater rose, about 11%. More people are interested in what the IGA offers, but Education just haven’t joined the family yet. I encourage members and non-members ¾ Spring 2004 IGA alike to take the next step and become more involved. Getting involved Meeting at Starved can be as easy as attending a meeting. They are great places to make Rock Lodge and Conference Center personal contacts, spark a project idea, learn about a new method, better near Utica, Illinois understand an important groundwater issue, and share your experiences. Your participation improves both the Association and your career. To increase our membership and meeting attendance, we are starting to strengthen connections with other professional groups. For the spring 2004 Officers meeting, we’ve contacted nearly 1000 Illinois Licensed Professional Chair: Randy Locke, Geologists. For each subsequent meeting, I suggest we reach out to at least Illinois State Water Survey one other group whose members may have an interest in IGA (e.g., local Vice Chair: Erik Spande, chapters of the American Water Works Association and National Ground CH2M Hill Water Association). A new membership committee may also help the Director: Dan Horvath, Association more systematically address these issues. Resource Consulting I take pride in knowing that simply by being an IGA member my $15 dues Director: Steve van der Hoven, Illinois State University directly support our high-quality meetings and the IGA student grants program. To date, we have given 28 grants to students worth $6,450. We Secretary: Sara Williams, Weaver, Boos, & Gordon are poised to make significant gains that will improve the Association and our educational and charitable ability, but we need your participation. If Treasurer: Steve Bennett, Western Illinois University you have any comments or would like to get more involved, I’d love to talk with you. Editor: Erik Spande, CH2M Hill Randy Locke, P.G. Student Director: Dean Ekberg, Illinois State Water Survey Northern Illinois University 217-333-3866 or [email protected] ILLINOIS GROUNDWATER ASSOCIATION SPRING 2004 NEWSLETTER SPRING 2004 IGA MEETING AND FIELD TRIP AT STARVED ROCK We’ve chosen a spectacular venue for our Spring IGA Meeting: Starved Rock State Park! Topics on the agenda include environmental statistics, Upper Illinois River water quality, horizontal drilling impacts to an Illinois fen, results from a survey on groundwater issues by the National Ground Water Association, statewide groundwater use to yield assessments, and the effects of landfill gas on groundwater. Full details on the technical program are on page 14 of this newsletter Meeting attendees will be treated to a special field trip at Starved Rock by Bob Vaiden from the Illinois State Geological Survey. He’ll guide you on a 1-1/2 to 2 hour walking tour of the park and its geology. Accommodations are available at the Starved Rock Lodge ($90-110; www.starvedrocklodge.com; 800-868-ROCK). Other motels are available about eight miles away in LaSalle-Peru including LaQuinta ($65-110; 815-224-9000), Fairfield Inn ($60-80; 815-223-7458), and Super 8 (~$40; 815-223-1848). Come enjoy a great technical session, the fresh air, and the company of your colleagues! FALL 2003 IGA MEETING A ROUSING SUCCESS The Fall 2003 IGA Meeting was held at the Joliet on October 16, 2003. The focus of this meeting was on the Silurian aquifer in northeastern Illinois, and highlighted discussions on water and wastewater needs of the City of Joliet, the Silurian potentiometric surface, the impacts of landfills on the Silurian aquifer, and the Chicago stormwater management system of deep boreholes in the Silurian dolomite (the TARP project). There was also a presentation on the Thornton Quarry, which is a prominent feature along I90/94 near the Illinois/Indiana border. A field trip in the Thornton Quarry on the following Friday highlighted striking Silurian geology of this ancient reef complex.PAGE 4 PAGE 4 IGA STUDENT RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM A primary goal of the Illinois Groundwater Association is to foster scholarship in the science of groundwater. One way we support this effort is through our IGA Student Research Grant Program. Applications are invited for IGA student research grants for the year 2004-2005. The IGA annually awards one or more modest grants (typically $150 - $300) to help support student research in groundwater in Illinois. Any undergraduate or graduate student registered for full- or part-time study at an accredited college or university in Illinois is eligible to apply. This year, applications should be postmarked by Friday, April 30th. Application forms and guidelines can be obtained online or from: Edward Mehnert IGA Grants Coordinator Illinois State Geological Survey 615 East Peabody Drive Champaign, IL 61820 217/244-2765 Fax 217/244-2785 PAGE 2 LLINOIS ROUNDWATER SSOCIATION PRING EWSLETTER 2004 IIGA DUESG REMINDER A S 2004 N It is time to renew your membership for 2004. Please print, complete, and mail this information along with your registration fee to Sara Williams at the address below. IGA membership dues are $15, and the student membership is $5. Membership renewal for each calendar year is payable at the time of the Spring Meeting and is available to anyone interested in groundwater resources in Illinois. Please make checks payable to the Illinois Groundwater Association. COST Name: Renew Membership $15 Position: New Membership $15 Employer: Student $5 Address: Phone: Fax: Clip form & mail to: E-mail: Sara Williams Weaver Boos & Gordon, Inc., 1901 Butterfield Rd., Ste. 800, Downers Grove, IL 60515, Phone: 630/968-7777, Fax: 630/968-7769 WHAT’S HAPPENING IN ILLINOIS GROUNDWATER… WORLD WATER MONITORING DAY Summarized from: World Water Monitoring Day The world's supply of clean, useable water is a product of the global hydrologic cycle. Life and health are at stake in many parts of the world where the quality of water is diminished by lack of understanding, inadequate resources or misuse. In other parts of the world, commerce and recreation are the most significant impacts. Since the world's water supply is constantly recycled through natural processes over vast geographic expanses, water quality truly becomes a worldwide issue. For this reason, America's Clean Water Foundation and the International Water Association invited citizens and organizations from around the globe to share in the experience of water quality monitoring by participating in the World Water Monitoring Day, which served as a global educational platform for watershed leaders, educators and trained volunteers to help those who are less experienced better understand how the actions of individuals in a watershed can impact many others. From September 18 to October 18 citizens throughout the world had opportunities to monitor the quality of their local watersheds and enter the results of their efforts into an international database. PAGE 3 ILLINOIS GROUNDWATER ASSOCIATION SPRING 2004 NEWSLETTER WHAT’S HAPPENING IN ILLINOIS GROUNDWATER… WORLD WATER MONITORING DAY (CONTINUED) Over 75,000 participants generally take part in World Water Monitoring Day activities annually. In each of the first two years of this event, over 5,000 monitoring sites were registered in the World Water Monitoring Day database. During those years in the United States, three of every four registered sites were completed and the results recorded. This completion percentage was almost 85% internationally in 2003. In addition, broader media exposure is increasing interest from other individuals, organizations, and governments. ACWF launched this event on October 18, 2002 as an important part of the Year of Clean Water, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the United States Clean Water Act. However, the importance of clean water is a worldwide concern. The expansion from a US event to a global cause is made possible through the growing list of sponsors, partners, and associates. They understand the value of water quality monitoring and citizen involvement as important tools to protect and preserve local watersheds throughout the world. For further information, please contact Ed Moyer, World Water Monitoring Day Coordinator at [email protected], or at 202-746-8493. AGENCY AND REGULATORY UPDATE U.S. EPA LAKE MICHIGAN SEDIMENT CLEANUP PROPOSED Summarized from: Lake Michigan Sediment Cleanup The 2005 federal budget proposal will include an unprecedented $45 million for the cleanup of contaminated sediments in the Great Lakes system. The increase in Great Lakes Legacy Act funding was announced by EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt. The $45 million will be used to start or further the cleanup of four to six of the "Areas of Concern," sediment that is heavily contaminated with PCBs, heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The request is a $35 million increase over 2004 Legacy Act funding. The budget also seeks an additional $3 million for the Great Lakes Program for restoration projects and an additional $1 million for research on the control of invasive species such as the zebra mussel and Asian carp which plague the Great Lakes.