Save the date!

Our Annual Dinner will again be at the I Hotel in Champaign on Friday, October 29, 2010.

The reception will begin at 6pm, and dinner will be served at 7pm.

The Rivers Corps of Discovery will bring the
beauty of our rivers to life with their presentation:

Impressions, Discoveries and Adventures.

Read an article on the founding of the Corps of Discovery here (pdf).

Do you know a volunteer who is working hard to protect the state’s rivers and streams? Help celebrate and elevate their important work by nominating them for our 6th annual River Steward Award. Deadline is September 17, 2010. {Continue Reading »}

REGISTER NOW FOR OCTOBER 5th WORKSHOP

WHAT: As a pre-conference activity at this year’s  Illinois Water Conference, we are hosting a workshop to teach you about third- party TMDLs.

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards, and an allocation of that amount to the pollutant’s sources. TMDLs set goals for pollution reduction that are necessary for the improvement of impaired waters. (View Illinois EPA’s TMDL website.)

This workshop focuses on explaining the third-party TMDL program to watershed groups and water resource managers.

Join U.S. EPA Region 5 experts Dean Maraldo, Chief of the Watersheds Section, and Dave Werbach, TMDL Coordinator, to learn:

• what a third-party TMDL is and isn’t
• how a third-party TMDL can benefit your watershed
• what the process is for TMDL development
• what the EPA requirements are for an approvable TMDL
• what the basics of watershed planning are related to TMDLs

{Continue Reading »}

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 14, 2010

Over 100 people crowded the hall of a church in Broadlands, Illinois for an informational meeting on the proposed coal mine in Champaign and Vermilion Counties. The meeting, held Thursday July 8, was initiated by a local farmer and landowner, Charles Goodall of Sidell.

Charles Goodall, farmer and PRN board member

Mr. Goodall said he organized the informational meeting after attending a Farm Bureau-sponsored review of the mineral leases used by Sunrise Coal, the Terre Haute company that intends to operate the mine.

“It became increasingly clear that Sunrise Coal has been flying under the radar, trying to sign landowners one at a time while avoiding open public discussion of the many important issues raised by proposing to mine coal in an agricultural community based on highly productive, level, prime farmland,” said Mr. Goodall, “The public needs to know what Sunrise is actually planning.” {Continue Reading »}

Illlinois residents crowd in to share environmental concerns with EPA and other officials.

The people of Illinois need your help! Please take a minute to sign our VERY important petition by Friday, July 16th at noon to make sure the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) hears from the many Illinois residents whose waters are threatened by toxic coal ash waste.

If you are in northern Illinois, sign the petition to bring a hearing to Chicago.

If you are in southern Illinois, sign the petition to bring a hearing to Louisville, Kentucky.

Toxic ash left over from burning coal contaminates our rivers and drinking water with cancer causing carcinogens. Illinois has more contaminated sites from the improper disposal of coal ash than any other state. After decades of fighting to get this waste regulated as the hazardous material it is, we are now close to a resolution.

The USEPA has issued two possible alternatives for dealing with this ash. One alternative will allow states to escape further regulation and continue with business as usual. The second alternative will require states to take coal ash waste seriously.

Do not underestimate the power of hearings: the USEPA and other decision-makers must hear the real-life stories of people with contaminated water. Do not underestimate the power of petitions and letters to determine the hearing location!

If you ever feel like a disempowered voter who cannot affect change,
Prairie Rivers Network would like to assure you that
your action right now will make a difference.

For more information about Prairie Rivers Network’s work to prevent water contamination from the coal industry, please click here.

Over 100 people attended a workshop on how to write fundable 319 grants, held in both Lisle and Bloomington.  Thanks to all of you who participated! Prairie Rivers Network and the Illinois Lake Management Association partnered to organize the workshops and welcomed a third partner, The Morton Arboretum, as our host in Lisle.

PRN and ILMA thank all of our speakers for taking the time to be part of a successful workshop.  View PowerPoint presentations from the March 3, 2010 (Lisle) and June 23, 2010 (Bloomington) workshops (please note that these are large files and may take a few minutes to download): {Continue Reading »}