Illinois’ rivers and streams are essential for drinking water, recreation, and wildlife.

Drinking Water

Most Illinois residents get their drinking water from large scale municipal water systems that rely on surface water sources such as the surface water of local rivers or that of dammed rivers which form reservoirs. However, many Illinois residents also depend on ground water sources such as aquifers (e.g. Mahomet Aquifer that serves much of east central Illinois) or private wells.

In either case, we enjoy some of the cleanest drinking water supplies in the world. {Continue Reading »}

Champaign, June 2, 2003: An educational display on the high quality rivers of the Vermilion River watershed and its recreational opportunities begins touring the Vermilion Rivers’s libraries and businesses. The display was created by Prairie Rivers Network, the state’s river conservation organization, with a grant from the Department of Natural Resources Conservation 2000 Ecosystems Partnership Program. The grant was forwarded by the Vermilion River Eco-partnership.

A watershed is an area of land where rainfall drains towards a particular body of water that gives the watershed its name, such as a river, and the Vermilion River watershed encompasses much of Vermilion and Champaign counties and portions of four other counties in east central Illinois. Eight rivers and streams in this watershed are considered biologically significant by the Department of Natural Resources. {Continue Reading »}

by Emily Bergner

Wetlands are an essential part of the natural environment. They provide habitat for an abundance of living creatures, control flooding, clean water, provide recreational opportunities for people, and are beautiful and interesting places to visit and admire. Many wetlands are adjacent to rivers and are necessary to the river’s ecosystem, serving as breeding grounds for fish and habitat for young fish and other river creatures.

In broad terms, wetlands are defined as transitional areas between dry land and bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers and streams. More specifically, they contain soils that are frequently wet, plant communities adapted to wet conditions, and have hydrology that is different from non-wetland areas. Individual wetlands can be quite unique, but can generally be grouped according to the source from which they receive water, their dominant vegetation, and their geologic and topographic characteristics. {Continue Reading »}