Champaign, February 4, 2003: Prairie Rivers Network expressed concern today regarding a proposed permit that will allow the discharge of wastewater into Hickory Creek in Will County. In a letter to Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), the group objected to the issuance of the wastewater discharge permit for the Village of New Lenox because it does not ensure that required water quality standards will be met.

According to Beth Wentzel, Prairie Rivers’ watershed scientist, “Despite pollution impacts in recent decades, Hickory Creek remains a significant ecological resource with a unique history and promising prospects for recovery. If not modified, the discharge permit which would allow New Lenox to increase its discharge of waste, will threaten the Creek and the possibility for restoration.” Under the Clean Water Act, the state must ensure that certain standards are met before discharge permits can be issued. In the case of the New Lenox permit for Hickory Creek, however, several of those standards have not been met in the proposed permit.

For instance, the permit does not ensure that the existing uses of the stream will be protected. These include the educational use of the stream by ecology classes from the area, as well as the habitat use by a broad array of species that currently call the waterway home. In addition, Prairie Rivers expressed concern that the facility that will be receiving the permit may currently be contributing to water quality violations in Hickory Creek.

“Under state regulations, IEPA must demonstrate that the discharge allowed under the new permit will not cause or contribute to water quality standard violations in the future,” Wentzel stated.

In order to ensure that these and other concerns are addressed, Prairie Rivers Network, the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club, and the Lower Des Plaines River Alliance have all requested that IEPA hold a public hearing on the proposed permit. A response from the agency is expected in the next few weeks.

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