December 20, 2017 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Metropolitan Planning Council is grateful to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for providing funding to support watershed planning work for four watersheds in Cook County. MPC and Christopher B. Burke Engineering (CBBEL) also appreciate the guidance and reviews provided by Illinois EPA staff. This plan was prepared in part using United States Environmental Protection Agency funds under Section 319 (h) of the Clean Water Act, distributed through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. MPC and CBBEL would also like to acknowledge contributions, ideas, and information drawn from watershed planning work led by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). CMAP has managed watershed planning projects for numerous areas in Northeastern Illinois, including the Thorn Creek and Boone-Dutch Creek watersheds. CMAP maintains a webpage with information about watershed plans and watershed planning work in the region. The approved plans developed by CMAP and partner engineering firms, notably Geosyntec Consultants, were valuable resources from which structural ideas and content were drawn for this watershed planning document. Sections of the Resource Inventory in this plan mirror material from CMAP-led plans where the information is relevant across the region. This was an important efficiency for plan development and provides for some consistency in plans across the region. We would particularly like to thank Holly Hudson, Kelsey Pudlock, Nora Beck, and Jason Navota for being valuable collaborating partners in watershed planning and stormwater work. This watershed planning document is a supplement to the Little Calumet River Detailed Watershed Plan (DWP) prepared by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) in 2014. The DWP thoroughly addresses flooding issues in the watershed. This complementary document focuses on water quality. MWRD has provided numerous datasets, mapping tools and information to support the 2017 watershed planning work. Two additional references of great benefit in the watershed planning work were the “Guidance for Developing Watershed Action Plans in Illinois,” developed by CMAP and Illinois EPA, and USEPA’s “Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters.” Finally, MPC and CBBEL would like to thank the members of the Peer Review Committee that lent their experience and expertise to the Plan development process: Matt Bardol: Geosyntec Consultants Noel Basquin: Cook County Michael "Mick" Cosme: MWRD Deanna Doohaluk: The Conservation Foundation K.C. Doyle: Cook County Joe Exl: Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) Holly Hudson: CMAP Eric Otto: Forest Preserve District of Cook County John Quail: Friends of the Chicago River Dom Tocci: Cook County Nancy Williamson: Illinois Department of Natural Resources Greg Wolterstorff: V3 Companies 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 2 Chapter 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 10 1.1 Watershed-Based Plan Scope and Purpose .......................................................................... 10 1.2 Addendum to Detailed Watershed Plan ............................................................................... 12 1.3 Who should use this Plan and how it should be used ........................................................... 13 1.4 Impacts of Development within the Watershed ................................................................... 14 1.5 Funding for the Watershed Plan ........................................................................................... 14 Chapter 2 Watershed Planning Area, Vision, Goals and Objectives .................................................... 15 2.1 Watershed Issues Based on Stakeholder Input ..................................................................... 15 2.2 Vision .................................................................................................................................... 15 2.3 Goals and Objectives ............................................................................................................. 15 2.4 Water quality ........................................................................................................................ 16 2.5 Natural Resources ................................................................................................................. 17 2.6 Stormwater Management .................................................................................................... 17 2.7 Green Infrastructure ............................................................................................................. 17 2.8 Responsible Development .................................................................................................... 17 2.9 Education .............................................................................................................................. 18 Chapter 3 Little Calumet River Watershed Resource Inventory .......................................................... 19 3.1 Watershed Boundaries ......................................................................................................... 19 3.2 Population and Demographics .............................................................................................. 23 Future Land Use Projections ......................................................................................... 23 3.3 Jurisdictions, Local Governments and Districts ..................................................................... 24 3.4 Climate and Precipitation...................................................................................................... 29 3.5 Climate Change ..................................................................................................................... 30 3.6 Soils ....................................................................................................................................... 32 Hydrologic Soil Groups .................................................................................................. 33 Hydric Soils .................................................................................................................... 35 Soil Drainage Class ........................................................................................................ 36 Highly Erodible Soils ...................................................................................................... 38 3.7 Floodplains ............................................................................................................................ 39 3.8 Wetlands ............................................................................................................................... 41 3.9 Land Use and Land Cover ...................................................................................................... 42 3.10 Impervious Surface ............................................................................................................... 44 Coal Tar-Based Sealants ................................................................................................ 45 3 3.11 Open Space Reserve ............................................................................................................. 46 3.12 Presettlement Land Cover .................................................................................................... 48 3.13 Watershed Drainage System ................................................................................................. 49 Midlothian Creek/Natalie Creek.................................................................................... 50 Little Calumet River ....................................................................................................... 50 Calumet Union Drainage Ditch ...................................................................................... 51 Plum Creek .................................................................................................................... 51 3.14 Physical Stream Conditions ................................................................................................... 51 Watercourse Assessment Methodology ....................................................................... 51 Channelization Assessment Methodology .................................................................... 53 Riparian Area Assessment Methodology ...................................................................... 56 Plum Creek Channelization, Riparian and Erosion ........................................................ 58 Plum Creek (Portion in Will County) - Channelization, Riparian and Erosion ................ 59 Midlothian Creek/Natalie Creek - Channelization, Riparian and Erosion ...................... 60 Calumet Union Drainage Ditch - Channelization, Riparian and Erosion ........................ 61 Little Calumet River - Channelization, Riparian and Erosion ......................................... 61 3.15 Detention Basin Inventory .................................................................................................... 63 3.16 Cook County Forest Preserve District Lakes .......................................................................... 66 3.17 Water Quality