Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-08-24
TH|SlAW OUGHT TO
PROVIDE MEANS Of.
RELIEF FROM RIVER.
BUT CHICAGO. THE MOST FLA.
. GRANT OF, ALI OFFENDERS
D PROBABLY DOES NOT COME uN
DER 1.-THE THING is PLAN.
NED 70 STOP ONLY THE LITTLE
OFFENDER.


pier. dock, bulkhead or anything else
in the water Of any stream or lake
in Illinois in connection with your
property.
Don't encroach upon or fill into any
OF the streams or lakes OF Illinois
without YOU first submit plans of your
proposal work to the Division OF
Waterways of the Department of Pub
lie Works and Buildings of the state,
at Springfield, and get a permit for IT,
If you fail to do this, the Division
OF Waterways warns in a statement
today, you violate a law which pro
vdes penalty of fine not exceed
ing $4,000 and Imprisonment in the
county jail not exceeding two years
Neither should you construct any
short walls, nor dump garbage or
refuse along any stream or lake in
the state where it will wash into the
stream or lake during flood stages.
ANY person, firm or corporation or
municipality polluting stream or
lake In the state violates the law ana
is subject to penalty. Pollution OF
streams in the state by discharge of
untreated sewage and industrial waste
matters is one of the existing evils
resulting in serious nuisances in var
ious parts Of the state because OF lack
of sufficient water during dry periods
to dilute 1t and carry it away.
In the last four years the Division
of Waterways has been requested to
investigate all sorts of conditions re-
sulting in overflow, damage, destruc
ton of streams by pollution, so as to
deprive people of their legitimate and
lawful use or by structures or bridges
that obstruct food water disposal or
interfere with navigation.
In almost every case damage could
have been avoided, il is asserted had
there been knowledge of facts and OF
watertiow.
The law requiring submission of
plans to the Division of Waterways
gives opportunity to investigate and
determine where damage will result !
or not The people are given valu- |
able engineering assistance and saved !
the heavy expense of employing tech |
nical men. III the proposed work Is |
found to be OF character that will
not be harmful, permit is given. II
investigation shows it will result in
damage and a change in plan will
avoid it, state engineers Indicate the
changes to be made and let the work
proceed II damage will follow, the
proposed work is not permitted. II
work is done without complying with
the law and results in damage the
state requires its removal, whether it
be a pier, wall, earth or other sort OF
fill
Set New Record.
The ffty.second general assembly
passed more constructive waterway
legislation than any previous admins
tration in the state.
For years drainage districts in the
state have been organized and con-
structed. Many discharge into water
courses and rivers of the state. The
later have either not been improved
or enlarged at all or for an inadequate
distance, with the result the added
run-off OF water cannot be handled.
While those whose lands are drained
may have profited, others have been
damaged
Plans Of all drainage districts of
the state, where streams are to be
changed in any way must. under the
law, be submitted for approval to the
Division of Waterways OF the Depart
ment of Public Works and Buildings
of the state. by this method, the state
having complete information of water
flows of various streams and water
sheds of the state. can determine
whether the plans are adequate for
the uses proposed. require each dis.
trict be unit that will connect with
another district in the same watershed |
and prevent useless expense and dam
age from avoidable floods.
The new law by act of the fifty. |
SECOND general assembly, gives broad
or power Of supervision that hereto
fore, including parks and drainage |
districts, but under the law as it has
been in force for two years, the Divi.
sion of Waterways has saved munich |
palities great expense in connection |
with sewage treatment systems, be-
cause no sewer system outlet can now |
~ A"Sf'tiy totSAluCttd iAtO ANY stream
or lake without the plans being first I
submitted to the division. The plans !
are checked by expert engineers, as |
are plans for all other work in the !
waters of the state One municipal |
ity of the state was saved several |
thousands of dollars in faulty con- |
structton and probably the loss of
many lives by having its plans check !
ed by the State under this law and |
farmers in many parts of the state
have been saved damage that would |
have resulted from improper or in.
effective construction in connection
with various enterprises.
BY the amended law. in force July
]. the state reserved to itself, through
its Department of Public Works, Di-
vision of Waterways, direct supervi.
sion and control of all submerged
lands in Lake Michigan, instead of
this supervision and control being
vested in park boards OF Chicago as
trustees of the state.