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U.S. Department of Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

 November 2004

Science Center Web Site: http://il.water.usgs.gov/ Compiled by D.M. Ayers

Illinois Water Science Center

221 N Broadway Ave Ste 101

Urbana IL 61801-2748

Water Resources Update

Illinois Water Science Center Newsletter

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 

and the University of Illinois dedicated 

the Ben Chie Yen Memorial StreamflowGaging Station, Boneyard Creek at 

Urbana, Illinois, on the morning of April 

28, 2004. The station is on Boneyard 

Creek immediately north of Engineering 

Hall on the university campus. The station, operated by the USGS in cooperation with the University of Illinois and the 

Cities of Champaign and Urbana, is part 

of a network of more than 7,000 stations 

operated by the USGS across the Nation 

(approximately 180 stations in Illinois in 

2003). The station is used to monitor 

river elevation (stage) and streamflow 

(discharge), with state-of-the art equipment, including acoustical instruments 

and real-time telemetry. This information 

can be used for issuing flood forecasts 

and warnings, day-to-day operations of 

water-resources projects (water-supply 

reservoirs, irrigation, water-quality 

enhancement, and navigation), recreation, and many other activities. The systematic records also are used in waterresources planning and analyses for the 

beneficial uses of natural resources and 

protection of the urban environment.

The streamflow-gaging station is 

dedicated for the late Professor Ben Chie 

Yen of the Hydrosystems Laboratory of 

the Civil and Environmental Engineering 

Department at the University of Illinois at 

Urbana-Champaign for his contributions 

to the science and engineering advancements in water resources. One of the oldest urban streamflow-gaing stations in the 

country, Boneyard Creek at Urbana, Illinois, would not have been installed and 

kept operational without the pioneering 

work in watershed hydrology at the University of Illinois, starting in the 1880’s 

by Professor Arthur N. Talbot and continuing with many others in subsequent 

years. Dr. Ven Te Chow was instrumental 

in establishing the original USGS gaging 

station near this location in 1948 and 

using the information for educational and 

research purposes. Starting in the 1960’s, 

Dr. Yen and colleagues energetically supported the continued operation of the station at the university, using the 

streamflow data for illustrating hydraulic 

and hydrologic theories to generations of 

water-resources professionals coming 

from the United States and throughout 

the world. Today, students from the University of Illinois and other institutions 

use the information collected at this station in their studies and research in the 

fields of hydraulics and hydrology, as 

hundreds of students in the past have 

done. 

About 60 persons attended the dedication and unveiling of the commemorative 

plaque, including members of Dr. Yen’s 

family and representatives from various 

government, community, and private 

organizations interested in water 

resources. Fittingly, the start of the dedication was delayed for a few moments 

because of a brief rain shower. Speakers 

for the event included Dr. David E. 

Daniel, Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois; Mr. 

Stephen F. Blanchard, USGS Office of 

Surface Water; Dr. Marcelo H. Garcia, 

Professor of Civil Engineering; and 

myself. Dr. Yen’s dedication to his work 

and the many contributions Dr. Yen 

made to water-resources science and 

engineering were fondly remembered 

by all present.

I invite all of you to visit the Boneyard Creek at Urbana, Illinois streamflow-gaging station on the university 

campus, or a virtual visit at 

http://il.water.usgs.gov/boneyard.html.

Robert R. Holmes, Jr., PhD, P.E.

U.S. Geological Survey

Director, Illinois Water Science Center

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Message from the Director . . . . . . 1

The Importance of Hydrology in the 

Ecologic Restoration of the Midewin 

National Tallgrass Prairie, Will County, 

Illinois. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Engineer from the United Arab Emirates/National Drilling Company Visits 

Illinois Water Science Center . . . . 4

Employee Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . 5

U.S. Geological Survey Marks 125th 

Anniversary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

USGS Helping to Answer Questions 

Regarding Nutrients . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Cooperator Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . 7

From the Mailbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Illinois Water Science Center Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
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THE IMPORTANCE OF HYDROLOGY IN THE ECOLOGIC RESTORATION OF THE MIDEWIN NATIONAL

TALLGRASS PRAIRIE, WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS

BY

PATRICK C. MILLS, HYDROLOGIST

 In 1996, the Midewin National 

Tallgrass Prairie, near Joliet, Illinois 

(fig. 1), was established as the Nation’s 

first Federally designated tallgrass prairie. The legislation that created Midewin 

designated the transfer of over 19,000 

acres from the U.S. Army to the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Two primary objectives mandated 

by the enabling legislation include:

• to conserve, restore, and enhance 

the native populations and habitats 

of fish, wildlife, and plants.

• to provide opportunities for scientific, environmental, and land-use 

education and research.

Substantial financial and human 

resources will be required to satisfy 

these objectives, with restoration efforts 

expected to require several decades. 

During 1940-77, most of the Midewin 

property was altered by construction of 

over 600 buildings, 392 bunkers, 118 

miles of road, and 116 miles of rail bed 

to support the Joliet Army Ammunition 

Plant. Adjacent lands were drained for 

agriculture with a system of field tiles, 

ditches, and channelization of area 

streams (Jackson, Prairie, and Grant 

Creeks). Non-native species of plants 

and wildlife have become a substantial 

part of the ecological system. Presently 

(2004), less than 3 percent of Midewin 

remains as upland prairie. Remnants of 

wetlands and a rare dolomite prairie also 

remain.

“Midewin” is the Potawatomi 

Indian name for the healing society. As 

envisioned, a substantial part of this 

prairie landscape will be healed of the 

presently degraded conditions and evenFigure 1. Location of the U.S. Forest Service’s Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie near Joliet, Illinois 

and piezometers and streamgages installed at the site by the USGS.
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tually restored to conditions resembling 

those present prior to Euro-American 

Settlement.

As part of the effort to restore 

Midewin to its pre-settlement conditions, raised rail beds and ditches are 

being leveled to grade and paved roadways, culverts, agricultural-drainage 

tiles, water-distribution piping, industrial sites, and stands of non-native trees 

are being removed. In future years, 

channelized sections of selected streams 

may be restored to natural configurations and (or) their banks stabilized. All 

of these changes subsequently will 

affect various components of the hydrologic system, including overland runoff, 

evapotranspiration, and subsurface infiltration. Hydrologic consequences that 

could complement the restoration of natural wetland, prairie, and stream ecosystems include elevated (above present) 

ground-water levels, increased base flow 

to streams, and reduced storm-related 

discharge. Monitoring and documenting 

these hydrologic components, through 

the full extent of site restoration, are key 

Figure 2. Hydrograph of ground-water levels in glacial-outwash deposits at Midewin.

Figure 3. Piezometer installed in an outwash-plain wetland adjacent to a munitions bunker field at 

Midewin. Photograph by Patrick C. Mills.
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to ensuring expected hydrologic and 

ecosystem responses, and effective management of site restoration.

Industrial redevelopment of parts of 

the former Army property also potentially affects the ongoing efforts of 

Midewin prairie restoration. Runoff 

from the industrial properties locally can 

increase streamflow and streambank 

erosion, and degrade stream- and 

ground-water quality. Hydrologic monitoring can aid assessment of the effects 

of area industrialization on site-restoration efforts and provide necessary data 

to site managers for engineered solutions to the industrial-related stresses on 

the natural hydrologic system being 

restored at Midewin.

Since September 2003, the USGS, 

in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, has undertaken monitoring of surface- and ground-water components of 

the hydrologic system at Midewin. Piezometers have been installed in glacialdrift deposits at nine locations across the 

site (fig. 1). Ground-water levels are 

recorded hourly (fig. 2) in the 5 to 21-

feet-deep piezometers located in the 

eastern upland till deposits, the western 

outwash and wetland deposits, and the 

northwestern dolomite prairie deposits 

(fig 3). Streamgages, for continuous 

measurement of streamflow, have been 

installed at sites on the westernmost 

(lower) reaches of Prairie and Grant 

Creeks within Midewin (fig. 1). Stream 

stage is monitored periodically at a 

northeastern (upper) reach of Grant 

Creek. Cooperative hydrologic monitoring and analysis efforts at Midewin are 

anticipated to expand in future years.

The water-level and streamflow 

data, along with available hydrologic 

data collected by the U.S. Forest Service, 

U.S. Army, and others are expected to 

provide the basis for various hydrologic 

analyses, including water-level and 

streamflow trend analysis, ground-waterlevel and flow-direction mapping, waterbudget analysis, and simulation of 

ground-water flow for delineation of 

possible natural and pumping-induced 

contaminant distributions. Other possible hydrologic analyses at Midewin that 

could allow better understanding of conditions that might affect restoration of 

stream ecology could include temporal 

analyses of stream sediment and distributions and stream- and ground-water 

quality and characterization of groundand surface-water interaction.

Presently, it is important that essential baseline hydrologic data are being 

collected at Midewin. These data and 

subsequent analyses will be extremely 

useful for the multi-decadal site-restoration efforts at Midewin.

Pictured above from left to right: Bob Holmes, Illinois Water Science Center Director; Rashid Saud Al-Shali, National Drilling 

Company; and Angel Martin, Illinois Water Science Center 

Reports Improvement Advisor.

ENGINEER FROM THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES/NATIONAL DRILLING COMPANY VISITS

ILLINOIS WATER SCIENCE CENTER

Rashid Saud Al-Shali from the National Drilling Company, United Arab Emirates (UAE), visited the Illinois Water 

Science Center during the week of May 3, 2004. Rashid worked with Angel Martin and other Center personnel on technical report issues and other topics. Rashid also visited the Arizona District Office in Tucson for training in performing 

gravity surveys. Rashid works as part of the Ground-Water Resources Program of the National Drilling Program and 

U.S. Geological Survey headquartered in Al Ain, UAE.
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Before beginning his career with 

the USGS, Illinois Water Science 

Center in 2001 as an Information 

Technology (IT) Specialist, Owen 

Peoples worked as the South Illinois 

District’s Communications Editor for 

United Parcel Service, a Computer 

Literacy Instructor at the Lincoln’s 

Challenge Academy, and as a Computer Education Specialist at Carle 

Clinic all in the Champaign-Urbana 

area

Owen received a B.A. in Photojournalism from Southern Illinois 

University at Carbondale in 1992. 

While pursuing this degree, he also 

received a commission in the U.S. 

Army Signal Corps as a 2nd Lieutenant. After 22 years of Guard and 

Reserve service, Owen maintains the 

rank of Major and is the Signal Augmentation Branch Chief of the Battle 

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

OWEN PEOPLES, IT SPECIALIST

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MARKS 125TH ANNIVERSARY

BY

ANGEL MARTIN, JR., HYDROLOGIST

For 125 years, the USGS has provided the Department of the Interior, the Nation, and the world with the science 

needed to make important decisions and safeguard society concerning earth-science issues. In 2004, the USGS celebrates 

125 years of science for America — the mission that has guided the USGS, the people and traditions that have shaped it, 

the science that has made the USGS one of the leading earth-science organizations in the world, and the partnerships that 

will continue to help USGS achieve important goals for the next 125 years.

As an unbiased science organization, USGS scientists are dedicated to the timely, relevant, and impartial study of the 

landscape, natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten us. According to Dr. Chip Groat, USGS Director, “the 

USGS is proud of its work and grateful to those who have supported us in the past and continue to support our efforts. 

Together, we have made a difference in the quality of life in America and abroad, and we are excited to have this opportunity to commemorate our accomplishments.” The USGS has many products and events planned in celebration of its 125th

anniversary in various States and at the National Headquarters in Reston, Virginia. For more information, including a listing of USGS activities commemorating the anniversary, please go to the Web site listed below.

http://www.usgs.gov/125/

Projection Group, 1st Brigade, 85th

Division based in Arlington Heights, 

Illinois. During the Great Flood of 

1993, Owen commanded the Illinois 

Army National Guard unit in Carbondale. His unit was activated to 

provide emergency support and 

humanitarian assistance to levy districts from Quincy to Prairie Du 

Rocher.

Currently, Owen serves in the 

Illinois Water Science Center’s computer unit and enjoys the challenges 

and rewards of providing computer 

and automation support to Center 

scientists, administrators, support 

staff, and cooperators. His duties 

involve system administration, realtime data support, assisting with 

database management, and Webrelated information and dissemination.

Owen, his wife, Pamela, and five 

sons — Josiah, Jacob, Jordan, Jonah, 

and Jeremiah — live in Savoy, just 

south of Champaign. Owen enjoys hiking, biking, and spending time with his 

family.
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The occurrence and distribution of 

nutrients (principally nitrogen and phosphorus) in the Nation’s waters is an issue that 

has received a great deal of attention and 

effort during the past decade. The presence 

of hypoxic conditions (depletion of oxygen) 

in the Gulf of Mexico has been attributed to 

input of nutrients from the Mississippi River 

Basin and has been a primary driver of the 

concerns regarding nutrient levels. In 2002, 

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

(USEPA) published ecoregion-based 

numeric criteria for total nitrogen, total 

phosphorus, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity 

concentrations in surface-water bodies 

based upon statistical assessments of available data. Most States have chosen to 

develop State-specific water-quality standards for nutrients and nutrient related constituents using cause-effect relations instead 

of promulgation of the national criteria.

Illinois is usually depicted within the 

area of the Upper Mississippi River Basin 

(UMRB) having some of the highest concentrations and contributing some of the 

largest quantities of nitrogen and phosphorus in the basin. Numerous characteristics 

contribute to this distinction including agricultural land-use practices, commercial and 

residential fertilization, wastewater effluent, 

climate, topography, and soil characteristics. 

For more than 30 years, the Illinois Water 

Science Center and other USGS centers 

have collected data and conducted research 

in the UMRB through a variety of programs 

including, the National Stream Quality 

Accounting Network (NASQAN), National 

Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology (TOXICs) Program, and programs at the Upper 

Midwest Environmental Sciences Center 

(UMESC). USGS Fact Sheet 105-03 

describes some of these programs and findings. Long-term monitoring data focused on 

major biological, physical, and chemical 

components of the UMRB ecosystem provide a body of data that allow focused modeling and research studies to more cost 

effectively explain regional and national 

impacts. The USGS also has conducted 

research studies in the UMRB to delineate 

nitrogen and oxygen isotope ratios, providing useful information about nutrient 

sources, land uses, and nitrogen recycling processes that contribute nitrogen 

to the river. USGS laboratory and field 

experiments have shown that introduction of water from the UMRB main stem 

to backwater areas results in increased 

rates of sediment denitrification and 

nitrate uptake and removal.

Recently, a common understanding of the ongoing science activities and 

capabilities of USGS relating nutrients in 

the UMRB was outlined in USGS Circular 1270. The goal of this effort was to 

develop a systematic interagency 

research approach that helps to explain 

the effects of land use, urban and watermanagement systems, and natural features such as hydrology, geology, and 

biogeochemical and biological processes, on the fate and transport of nutrients and sediments. An integrated 

approach that incorporates monitoring of 

concentrations and loads, process 

research to determine controlling mechanisms, and development of predictive 

models will provide the best scientific 

understanding of watershed characteristics and responses to management practices.

The Illinois Water Science Center 

is helping to investigate and address the 

concerns and questions regarding nutrients in the aquatic environment through 

various efforts including participating on 

regional and State working groups and 

performing investigative studies. 

Through the Federal-State cooperative 

program, Paul Terrio (Illinois Water Science Center Water-Quality Specialist) is 

serving on an assignment to the Illinois 

Environmental Protection Agency to 

assist with the development of numeric 

standards for nutrients in Illinois surfacewater bodies. The numeric standards will 

be based on cause-effect relations among 

nutrients and related instream biological 

and water-quality conditions. This effort 

involves focused field research, data 

analysis, literature review, science and 

implementation workgroups, and 

public outreach. The Illinois Plan for 

Adoption of Nutrient Water Quality 

Standards calls for nutrient standards 

to be approved by USEPA and 

adopted by the Illinois Pollution 

Control Board by the end of 2008.

The Illinois Water Science 

Center, in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Agriculture and 

the Natural Resources Conservation 

Service, has been investigating the 

potential water-quality and crop-production benefits of controlling subsurface tile drainage at an 

experimental site in Ford County 

since 2001. A paired-field site with 

one conventionally tile-drained field 

and one field with controlled tile 

drainage has been instrumented to 

monitor tile flow, nitrate-nitrogen 

and dissolved phosphorus concentrations, weather conditions, and watertable levels. Restricting the flow of 

water through the tile-drain system 

during the fallow season and managing the tile-drain flow during the 

growing season is anticipated to 

result in (1) a reduction in the 

amount of nitrate-nitrogen transported through the tile line and (2) a 

potential crop-production benefit 

resulting from increased availability 

of soil moisture during the summer 

months. Preliminary results show 

that concentrations of nitrate-nitrogen and dissolved phosphorus are 

similar between the two fields, 

whereas the amounts of these constituents transported through the tile 

lines, and subsequently discharged to 

the receiving stream, is directly 

dependent upon the amount of water 

allowed through the tile line. Data 

collection is continuing for this 

project and the results will be published in a report following the completion of the investigation.

For further information:

USGS HELPING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS REGARDING NUTRIENTS

BY

PAUL J. TERRIO AND GEORGE GROSCHEN, HYDROLOGISTS
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The Kendall County Soil and Water 

Conservation District is one of 98 Soil 

and Water Conservation Districts 

(SWCD) in Illinois, and one of nearly 

3,000 SWCDs nationwide. The mission 

of the SWCDs, including Kendall 

County’s SWCD, is to promote the conservation and enhancement of soil, water, 

and other natural resources. This mission 

is accomplished by utilizing and coordinating the financial and educational 

resources available from public, private, 

State, local, and Federal entities to meet 

the needs of local land users seeking to 

conserve or restore the quality of our natural resources.

SWCDs were established in 1937 

under the Illinois Soil and Water Conservation District Act and are local units of 

government. The Act gives SWCDs the 

responsibility to provide technical information to individuals and groups on 

methods of soil and water conservation, 

and provide natural resource inventory 

information on properties slated for zoning changes. The Kendall County SWCD 

was formed on June 3, 1947.

The Kendall County SWCD is a public body made up of citizens concerned 

with the protection of our natural 

resources. The Kendall County SWCD 

has three staff members — a Resource 

Conservationist, an Education Coordinator, and an Administrative Coordinator. The SWCD is located in a U.S. 

Department of Agriculture’s Natural 

Resources Conservation Service 

(NRCS) field office that is staffed by a 

District Conservationist and Soil Conservationist. The SWCD is governed by 

a five-member board of directors 

elected by district landowners and residents. This board of directors and the 

district staff formulate and administer a 

program of work that is tailored specifically to the conservation and protection 

of the district’s natural resources.

Districts have no taxing authority. 

Funding is provided in part by the Illinois Department of Agriculture 

(IDOA). Districts offer various programs that supplement IDOA funding. 

The additional funding is utilized for 

operation expenses and education programs.

Activities performed by the Kendall County SWCD include used oil 

pickup and recycling, selling trees and 

COOPERATOR SPOTLIGHT

KENDALL COUNTY SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT

fish for resource renewal, providing 

assistance with sealing abondoned 

wells, streambank stabilization and 

restoration, implementation of the 

Conservation Practices Program to 

reduce soil erosion, and participation 

in the development of Integrated 

Management Plans for the Fox River 

and Aux Sable Creek. The SWCD 

also has an educational program that 

offers presentations to traditional and 

non-traditional groups, as well as 

maintaining resource materials for 

county residents. Additionally, the 

Kendall County SWCD is an excellent source for obtaining educational 

material including soil surveys, topographic maps, National Wetland 

Inventory Maps, floodplain maps, and 

aerial photographs.

The Kendall County SWCD is 

located at 7775A Route 47 in 

Yorkville, Illinois; and can be reached 

at (630) 553-5821, extension 3.

• USGS Upper Midwest Environmental 

Science Center: 

http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/

• USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology 

Program: http://toxics.usgs.gov

• U.S. Geological Survey, 2003, Nutrients in the Upper Mississippi River: 

Scientific Information to Support Management Decisions; U.S. Geological 

Survey Fact Sheet 105-03, 6 p.

• U.S. Geological Survey, 2004, A Science Strategy to Support Management 

Decisions Related to Hypoxia in the 

Northern Gulf of Mexico and Excess 

Nutrients in the Mississippi River 

Basin; U.S. Geological Survey Circular 

1270, 50 p.

Excessive algal growth can result when nitrogen and phosphorus are present in sufficient 

amounts in streams and rivers. Photograph by 

Paul J. Terrio.
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Belvidere, Illinois, and Vicinity, 

2001–02, by P.C. Mills and R.T. 

Kay

WRIR 03-4226, Herbicides and 

Their Transformation Products 

in Source-Water Aquifers 

Tapped by Public-Supply Wells 

in Illinois, 2001-02, by P.C. 

Mills and W.D. McMillan

FS 2004-3024, The Great Flood of 

1993 on the Upper Mississippi 

River—10 Years Later, by G.P. 

Johnson, R.R. Holmes, Jr., and 

L.A. Waite

Circular 1230, Water Quality in the 

Upper Illinois River Basin, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, 

1999-2001, by G.E. Groschen, 

T.L. Arnold, M.A. Harris, D.H. 

Dupre, F.A. Fitzpatrick, B.C. 

Scudder, W.S. Morrow, Jr., P.J. 

Terrio, K.L. Warner, and E.A. 

Murphy

SIR 2004-5085, Water Quality of 

Nippersink Creek and Wonder 

Lake, McHenry County, Illinois, 

1994-2001, by D.H. Dupre and 

D.M. Robertson

ILLINOIS WATER

SCIENCE CENTER

PUBLICATIONS

Listed below are publications that 

were published recently. Federal 

Fiscal Year (FY) covers October 1 

through September 30. Our policy 

is to provide copies of our publications to requestors at no cost as 

long as the publication is in stock 

in the Illinois Water Science Center. To obtain copies of the following, or any other Illinois Water 

Science Center publication, you 

may contact Donna Ayers at (217) 

344-0037, extension 3053 or by email at dmayers@usgs.gov. 

Reports also can be found at: 

http://il.water.usgs.gov/pubs/

search.html.

FY 2004

OFR 03-206, Hydrogeologic and 

Ground-Water-Quality Data for 

From the Mailbag

If you have comments about 

our newsletter or our Web 

site, please use the form on 

the back page. Comments 

also can be sent to 

dc_il@usgs.gov.

“... I just received the Great 

Flood Fact Sheet. Wow, nicely 

done!”

“Although we are only a small 

community at Illinois’ NW tip, 

the variety of information is interesting. Just reading the articles 

teaches me some more acronyms. 

Thanks!”

“Articles on extreme flood 

events, MTBE, and water quality 

in Upper Illinois River Basin were 

all of extreme interest to me. Your 

newsletter is a valuable communication ...”

“... I think you are right in saying that USGS data is the cornerstone of most river (and stream) 

research conducted in the US. 

That’s certainly true for me as my 

research on nutrient fluxes in the 

Ohio River Basin is entirely 

dependent on the discharge data 

collected by your agency ...”

“I just got your May newsletter, 

and wanted to let you know I 

enjoy looking over it ...”

The Illinois Water Science 

Center is moving to the University of Illinois campus. 

This move will take place 

November 10-12, 2004. Our 

new address will be 1201 

West University Avenue, 

Suite 100, Urbana, Illinois 

61801.