Prairie du Pont Watershed Informational Open House

5101 Lake Drive,East St. Louis IL 62203

25 October, 2022

Description

INFORMATIONAL OPEN HOUSE ON RESILIENCE IN THE PRAIRIE DU PONT WATERSHED HeartLands Conservancy, an environmental non-profit serving southwestern Illinois, is hosting a second informational open house on October 25, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM, at Kappa House at 5101 Lake Drive, Cahokia Heights, IL 62203. The open house is an excellent opportunity for individuals in the local community and affected areas to meet with HeartLands Conservancy and other expert partners working in the watershed to learn about Prairie du Pont restoration and resilience for a watershed that directly impacts them. Supporting partners in this regional effort who will be tabling the informational open house include: IL Department of Natural Resource, U.S. Geological Survey, Hurst Rosche Engineering Services, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Office of Senator Dick Durbin and HeartLands Conservancy's Resilient Communities and Water Program staff. Attending this Open House will give residents a better understanding of what is going on in their community and an opportunity to ask questions and state concerns to the many parties involved in the projects. HeartLands Conservancy will brief on the watershed plan that came back from the committee, which includes community input. Come out to learn about the health of your local watershed and influence where the community invests in future surface water quality! The watershed plan is a way to strategically identify and address water quality, sanitary sewer, and flooding issues and create a long-term vision for the improvement of drainage. The planning process combined technical analysis and public input to create a roadmap for healthier watersheds. When complete, these plans, which will be briefed at the open house, will reveal informed recommendations from the committee on how to decrease flood damage, repair sanitary sewers, improve water quality, reduce soil erosion, and restore fish and wildlife habitat. The project's goals are to help improve the watershed's health and provide a guide for future projects to be installed. Prairie du Pont Project background: HeartLands Conservancy partnered with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) and the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) to embark on a watershed planning process for the Prairie du Pont and St. Clair County portion of Judy's Branch watersheds. These watersheds cover a 96,250-acre area in St. Clair and Monroe counties! For information and updates on this project visit: https://heartlandsconservancy.org/pdp/ For additional information on the Prairie du Pont Project to include regional map, GIS data files and notes from recent meetings visit: https://heartlandsconservancy.org/pdp/