U.S. Department of the Interior a U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Geological Survey

Programs in Illinois 

LAKE

MICHIGAN

Michigan 

City

Waukegan

Fort

Sheridan

Wilmette

Grossepoint

Chicago

WISCONSIN

ILLINOIS

ILLINOIS

INDIANA

41°30'

42°00'

42°30'

88°00' 87°30' 87°00'

Sidescan mosaic

 areas

Survey tracklines

EXPLANATION

0 25 MILES

0 25 KILOMETERS

The safety, health, and economic well being of Illinois’ citizens are important to the 

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS 

is involved in the study of water, mineral, 

and biological resources throughout the 

State, Through cooperative programs with 

many Federal, State, and local agencies, the 

USGS is at work every day in the State of Illinois studying coastal erosion, assessing 

water quality, and determining the risk from 

earthquakes, landslides, and other natural 

hazards. Through national programs, citizens 

of Illinois also have access to the thousands 

of map, book, and aerial photographic products of the USGS. Information follows on 

acquiring these products and accessing various traditional and electronic sources of 

products and services.

Coastal Erosion of Lake 

Michigan

During this century, water levels in Lake 

Michigan have risen successively higher. 

The highest water levels ever recorded were 

from 1985 to 1987. Periodic intense storm 

waves, as well as high water levels, cause 

damage to the Illinois shoreline. This was especially true in 1986 when storm waves and 

high lake levels caused extensive damage to 

Chicago Lakefront businesses, parks, and 

condominiums. The potential savings of millions of dollars in beach replenishment and 

maintenance costs was the goal of studies by 

the Illinois Department of Natural Resources–Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), 

several Illinois universities, the U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The USGS cooperated in studies to determine why and where the structures that support the shoreline are failing and why and 

where the sand, which normally protects the 

shoreline and maintains the beaches, is being 

depleted. A major finding is that prehistoric 

lake-level fluctuations were at least twice as 

great as those observed historically.

The USGS study of the Chicago shoreline 

protection structures serves as a basis for 

planning extensive reconstruction. Understanding sand movement by mapping lakebottom physiography and sediment distribution by using sidescan sonar imagery and 

seismic reflection geophysical techniques 

(fig. 1). Together, these data provide the basis for preparing lake-bottom maps of physiography and sediment distribution and can 

enable planners to save millions of dollars in 

beach replenishment and maintenance costs.

Urbanization and Flooding

Rapid urbanization of drainage areas has 

often led to unanticipated high peak flows 

and increased frequency of flooding within 

or downstream from the drainage areas. 

Computer models that represent the characteristics and responses of watershed runoff in 

response to rainfall are used to apply storm 

data to the planning, design, and management of roads, bridges, culverts, and dams. 

Solutions developed by water-resource planners for mitigating anticipated storm runoff 

can then be included in zoning restrictions 

and construction plans for future development in areas that are undergoing rapid urbanization. Rainfall and streamflow data are 

being collected in suburban counties of Metropolitan Chicago that are undergoing rapid 

development. These data are used to calibrate models of rainfall and stream runoff to 

a variety of watershed conditions. Concurrently, a real-time rainfall data network is being installed in a large watershed in Du Page 

County. The information provided by the 

modeling study and the network will be used 

to optimize the management of reservoir operations to mitigate the severity of flooding. 

Cooperators on these studies are the Du Page 

County Department of Environmental Concerns, the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission, and the Illinois 

Department of Natural Resources–Office of 

Water Resources.

Coal Availability and Quality

The availability of environmentally acceptable and reliable energy resources is an 

important issue for Federal, State and local 

planners and industries that utilize coal. Coal 

usage currently accounts for one-third of the 

total energy used and more than one-half of 

the electricity generated in the United States. 

Illinois has the largest resource of bituminous coal in the United States. A cooperative 

program between the USGS and the ISGS 

was initiated in 1992 to study 7.5-minute 

Index of Subjects

Coastal Erosion of Lake Michigan

Urbanization and Flooding

Coal Availability and Quality

Oil and Gas Resources

Water Quality of the Illinois River Basin

Earthquake Hazards

Hazardous Waste

Diversion of Water From Lake Michigan

Sedimentation Studies and Monitoring 

Network

Collection of Water Information

Landslide Hazards

Geologic Mapping

Topographic Mapping

Earth Science Information

Coastal Wetlands

Digital Soil Surveys

Sharing Spatial Data

Figure 1. Southern Lake Michigan showing 

areas surveyed by using sidescan sonar 

imagery and seismic reflection track lines.

Earth Science in the Public Service
Lower

Illinois 

River

Basin

Upper

Illinois 

River

Basin

Illinois 

River

ILLINOIS

quadrangle topographic maps of representative coal areas under development in the 

State to identify current major constraints to 

the development of coal resources and to estimate the amount of remaining coal resources that may be available for development. As 

part of the coal assessment activities in the 

Illinois Basin, the USGS is working with the 

ISGS to update data bases for Illinois coals, 

and then to integrate these data bases with 

those from other Illinois Basin States (Kentucky and Indiana).

Coal production in the Illinois Basin has 

declined over the last 2 to 3 years. This is because the electric utilities have switched 

from high-sulfur coals from the Illinois Basin to low-sulfur coals from Western States. 

The ISGS and USGS are cooperating in 

studies to develop models to increase understanding of the geochemical processes that 

affect distributions, variability, and modes of 

occurrences for sulfur and potentially hazardous trace elements in coal.

Oil and Gas Resources

 Illinois has a long history of exploration 

for and production of oil and gas. Most of 

the State has been explored thoroughly for 

oil and gas, yet there are areas that are underexplored because the oil and gas resources 

are at great depths in the Illinois Basin. A 

technique known as the mass-balance method has been developed to estimate the undiscovered amount of oil and gas that the Basin 

could produce and how much has actually 

been produced. As part of the National Oil 

and Gas Assessment, the USGS worked with 

the ISGS to define oil and gas activities in 

the State.

Water Quality of the Illinois River 

Basin

Protecting the quality of the Nation’s 

ground- and surface-water resources is a priority concern. The impact of degraded water 

quality may have short- or long-term effects 

on public health or economic success. 

Project scientists in the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program 

are collecting water-quality data in the lower 

Illinois River Basin and have completed a 

study of the upper Illinois River Basin 

(fig. 2). The identification of the trends in 

water quality is a major thrust of the 

NAWQA Program. Objectives of the lower 

Illinois River Basin study are to provide a 

description of present water-quality conditions; to develop conceptual models that relate observed conditions to sources and 

causes; to track long-term trends in water 

quality; and to improve the understanding of 

the relation between causative factors and 

water quality. The NAWQA Program studies 

in Illinois have established liaison committees with representatives from Federal, State, 

and local agencies, such as the USACE, the 

Biological Resources Division (BRD; formerly the National Biological Service), and 

the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District 

of Greater Chicago to identify the important 

topics for study.

Earthquake Hazards

In the past decade, there has been increasing awareness that the seismic hazard in the 

Midwest may be greater than the historical 

earthquake record would suggest. Recent 

discoveries have shown evidence of possibly 

eight or more strong earthquakes (likely 

magnitudes between 6.0 and 7.5). At least 

155 magnitude 2.5 or larger earthquakes 

have struck Illinois since 1875. Numerous 

prehistoric earthquakes of magnitude 6 to 7 

have struck southern Indiana and Illinois; 

some may have been larger. Geologic evidence for these earthquakes in the form of 

sand-and-gravel intrusions in river sediments 

has been discovered at more than 200 sites in 

the Wabash River Valley and along its tributaries in Illinois. This information is the result of USGS studies done in cooperation 

with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources–Illinois State Museum and the 

ISGS, the Indiana Geological Survey, and 

Indiana University.

Hazardous Waste

Contamination of surface water and 

ground water by hazardous wastes is of major concern throughout Illinois. Studies to 

characterize several Superfund sites and 

urban areas in northern Illinois are being 

conducted by the USGS in cooperation with 

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

(USEPA), Region V. The USGS is contributing technical expertise, such as borehole logging, aquifer-test analysis, and water-quality 

sampling and analysis, to aid in understanding the geologic and hydrologic characteristics of the study areas. Results of these 

studies improve understanding of the concentration and distribution of soil and 

ground-water contamination needed for site 

remediation and protection of ground-water 

supplies.

The USGS also is contributing technical 

expertise to studies at hazardous-waste sites 

at several U.S. Department of Defense installations. For example, the USGS is conducting a study of soil and ground-water 

contamination at Fort Sheridan north of Chicago. Many of the military installations in Illinois have been closed or are being closed 

under the auspices of the Base Closure and 

Realignment Act, as part of the closure procedures, and the problems of environmental 

contamination have to be addressed.

Diversion of Water From Lake 

Michigan

Since 1900, Illinois has diverted water 

from Lake Michigan down the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC; the Chicago 

River and associated waterways) to the Des 

Plaines River and then to the Illinois River. 

This was done to protect the quality of water 

in Lake Michigan by carrying sanitary 

wastewater away from the Lake and allowing 

barge traffic on the Illinois River between the 

Mississippi River and Chicago. The most recent U.S. Supreme Court decision (1967 and 

modified December 1, 1980) that regulates 

the diversion of water from Lake Michigan 

limits diversion by the State to a 40-year average of 3,200 cubic feet per second. The 

USACE is responsible for accounting for the 

water diverted, and the State is responsible 

for allocation of the water diverted.

Determining the diversion by Illinois is a 

complicated and time-consuming process. 

The USACE has determined that Illinois has 

diverted flows in excess of the 3,200-cubicfeet-per-second limit from the 1983 to 1993 

water years. Improved accounting of the various components of the water diversion is a 

goal of the diversion accounting program of 

the USACE. An acoustic velocity meter 

(AVM) for measuring flows on the CSSC at 

Romeoville is a key part of the Lake Michigan diversion accounting procedure. The 

USGS is responsible for the operation and 

Figure 2. National Water-Quality Assessment 

(NAWQA) Program study units.
maintenance of the AVM by agreement with 

the USACE.

The USGS also is cooperating with the 

USACE, the Illinois Department of Natural 

Resources–Office of Water Resources, and 

the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District 

of Greater Chicago to refine various components of the Lake Michigan diversion accounting. The USGS also is applying 

advanced techniques and technology, such as 

Acoustic Doppler current profilers and 

AVM’s, to measure flows in the CSSC and 

leakage through the lakefront diversion-control structures. Recent measurements made 

by the USGS indicate that actual leakage 

through the lakefront diversion-control structures is much greater than previous estimates.

Sedimentation Studies and 

Monitoring Network

Sedimentation in river basins throughout 

Illinois has resulted in reduced depths of 

navigation pools and backwater lakes. Fish 

and migratory bird populations are being adversely affected by a loss of food and habitat 

as a result of increased sediment loads in the 

water and sediment deposits in the aquatic 

habitats. The USGS is studying sedimentation on the Mississippi, the Illinois, the 

Kankakee, and the Cache Rivers and other 

streams to measure sediment loads. Measures of sediment concentrations and loads 

are being made by the USGS in the pool 

above Lock & Dam 13 on the Mississippi 

River and in the pool above La Grange Lock 

& Dam on the Illinois River to determine 

sediment budgets and transport. The sedimentation studies are being conducted in cooperation with the BRD, the USACE, as well 

as State and local agencies. The USGS maintains a network of 21 sediment-monitoring 

stations throughout the State in support of 

the sedimentation studies and for basic data 

collection.

Collection of Water Information

Surface- and ground-water and waterquality information are needed for a variety 

of activities. These include the surveillance, 

planning, design, hazard warning, operation, 

and management in water-related activities, 

such as water supply, hydroelectric power 

generation, flood-control, irrigation, bridge 

and culvert design, wildlife management, 

pollution abatement, flood-plain management, and water-resources development. The 

USGS, in cooperation with more than 20 

Federal, State, and local agencies, collects 

streamflow (fig. 3), ground-water level, and 

water-quality data throughout the State.

Of the streamflow-gaging stations in Illinois, 146 (about 94 percent of all stations) 

are equipped with satellite or telephone telemetry. Through a network of satellite or 

telephone telemetry, streamflow data in Illinois are provided to the National Weather 

Service, the USACE, and various other Federal, State, and local agencies to manage 

flood-control structures and reservoirs, to 

plan for flood mitigation, to forecast streamflow, and many other activities. The public 

can find much of this information by accessing the USGS home page computer on the 

World Wide Web at the USGS District Office 

In Urbana at URL:

http://wwwdilurb.er.usgs.gov/ 

Landslide Hazards

According to a 1985 inventory of landslides in Illinois, at least $8 million in damages have been documented since 1928. The 

USGS and the ISGS continue to compile 

landslide information. The compiled data 

show that most landslides in the State have 

been induced by construction activities and 

that most occur along the Illinois and the 

Mississippi Rivers. In spring 1995, heavy 

rain caused many damaging slides, in which 

one person died. An inventory map of locations of severe landslide problems is useful 

to developers, businesses, and local governmental agencies responsible for developing 

mitigation strategies. Analyses of eight landslides within the New Madrid Seismic Zone 

indicated that the landslides were stable, but 

failure is possible during an earthquake of 

the magnitude experienced in 1812 (probably the strongest historic earthquake in the 

conterminous United States).

Geologic Mapping

The USGS has had an on-going cooperative geologic mapping program with the 

ISGS for the last 10 years to produce largescale (1 inch equals 2,000 feet) geologic 

maps on the 7.5-minute quadrangle base. 

Priorities for selection of areas to be mapped 

are set by the Illinois Geological Mapping 

Advisory Committee, which consists of representatives from State and county governments, universities, industry, professional 

associations, and others concerned with geologic mapping. Geologic mapping is used in 

the identification of mineral resources and 

delineation of glacial deposits for determining sand and gravel resources and in the 

identification and protection of aquifers susceptible to contamination. These programs 

also include structural studies in selected 

parts of southern Illinois to assess the age, 

character, and extent of faulting in areas 

within or near the New Madrid Seismic Zone 

to help determine the earthquake-hazard potential.

Topographic Mapping

The USGS, in cooperation with Federal, 

State, and county governmental agencies in 

Illinois, prepares printed topographic maps 

and computerized geographic and cartographic data. The resulting products serve 

many geographic information systems (GIS) 

applications in addressing natural resource, 

conservation, waste disposal, emergency, 

hazard, and other environmental and societal 

issues that confront the State's citizens. Current USGS mapping work, much of it conducted in funding partnerships with various 

agencies in Illinois, includes production of 

1:100,000-scale topographic maps and several types of computer-readable cartographic 

data, which include ground-elevation and 

contour files, on-screen images of topographic maps and aerial photographs, digital 

elevation models, and map-revision data. A 

new set of aerial photographs also is being 

acquired across the State through a cooperative effort.

State agencies currently participating 

with the USGS in the joint production of digital map data include the Illinois Department 

of Natural Resources–Office of Water Resources and the ISGS, the Illinois DepartFigure 3. Surface-water data-collection sites.
For More

Information

ment of Transportation, and Lake County. 

Federal mapping partners with the USGS in 

Illinois include the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); the U.S. Forest 

Service (USFS); the USEPA; and the USACE.

The Illinois Mapping Advisory Committee (IMAC) serves as the primary statewide 

topographic mapping coordination body in 

Illinois. Representatives of the IMAC are 

from Federal, State, and county governmental agencies; universities; and the private sector. IMAC meetings, which are held twice a 

year, feature presentations and demonstrations on mapping and GIS issues and information exchange.

Earth Science Information

The USGS Earth Science Information 

Centers (ESIC) provide information about 

the USGS, its programs, products, and technological developments to the public. The 

Earth Science Information Center in Champaign was established under a cooperative 

agreement among the USGS, the ISGS, and 

the University of Illinois and is part of a nationwide network of such centers to provide 

public access to earth science information. 

The University of Illinois in Chicago also is 

a State ESIC affiliate. As part of the national 

ESIC network, these offices provide information on such earth science topics as cartography, geography, digital data, remote 

sensing, geology, geophysics, geochemistry, 

hydrology, geohydrology, aerial photography, and land use. The ESIC office at the 

ISGS in Champaign also has USGS map 

products available for purchase. Each ESIC 

is supported by the USGS with reference 

materials, technical assistance, training and 

outreach activities, and access to USGS data 

bases.

Coastal Wetlands

Coastal wetlands of Lake Michigan are 

beneficial to the quality of water and protect 

the shoreline communities in Illinois. Many 

physical, climatic, and human processes 

have been interacting to cause the deterioration of these wetlands since the last glaciation in Illinois (from 25,000–13,500 years 

ago). Histories of wetlands along the Illinois 

coast are included in mapping being done by 

the USGS using GIS for Lake Michigan. 

Monitoring changes in the wetlands through 

time will provide a tool for land-use planners, political jurisdictions dealing with conflicting best-management practices, and 

scientists who are trying to understand geological limits on biodiversity. The ability to 

estimate the effect of natural processes and 

human activities on coastal wetlands has required close cooperation with the ISGS, 

Morton Arboretum, Northeastern Illinois 

University, the Chicago Department of Engineering and Public Works, the Field Museum 

of Natural History, as well as with the BRD, 

and the National Wetlands Inventory of the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Digital Soil Surveys

The Southern 7 GIS Project is a multiagency project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prepare digital 

soil surveys in the seven southernmost counties of Illinois. Digital orthophotoquads 

(DOQ’s) are being produced for the area as 

part of the USGS DOQ program, with costs 

shared by the USGS, NRCS, the USFS, and 

the State of Illinois. DOQ’s are used as a 

base map for the digital soil surveys and as a 

source for other information used in a GIS, 

such as tree-stand data for the USFS, locations of homes and streets for a 911 emergency telephone system, and other 

applications.

Sharing Spatial Data

The National Spatial Data Infrastructure 

Comprehensive Cooperative Agreement Program was established by the Federal Geographic Data Committee through the USGS 

to help form geographic and cartographic data-sharing partnerships with the non-Federal 

sector. This Program provides funding to 

State and local government agencies, academia, and the private sector to encourage 

resource-sharing projects through the use of 

technology, networking, and interagency coordination.

The Illinois GIS 2002 Project is designed 

to develop an accurate and continually updated GIS of base map and parcel data for 

Adams County. The Project, which involves 

Federal, State, and county agencies; public 

utilities; and private firms, will address datastandardization issues and promote efficient 

collection and sharing of geographic and cartographic data among multiple users. The 

Champaign County Network effort, which 

includes more than 70 participating agencies, is directed toward providing computer 

network access to community-relevant geographic and cartographic data from local, regional, State, and national sources. The 

effort is intended to demonstrate the development of a prototype local information system.

USGS State representative

102 E. Main St., 4th Floor

Urbana, IL 61801

(217) 344–0037, ext. 3030

Fax: (217) 344–0082

Email: dc_il@usgs.gov

Additional earth science

information can be found by

accessing the USGS Home Page

on the World Wide Web at

http://www.usgs.gov/

For more information on

all USGS reports and products

(including maps, images,

and computerized data), call

1-800-USA-MAPS

The USGS provides maps,

reports, and information to help

 others meet their needs to manage,

develop, and protect America’s water,

 energy, mineral, biological, and land

resources. We help find the natural

resources needed to build tomorrow

and supply the scientific understanding needed to help minimize or mitigate the effects of natural hazards

and environmental damage caused

by natural and human activities. The

results of our efforts touch the daily

life of almost every American.

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet FS-013-96