Water Control & Quality

The evolving goals of the Rock River Trail’s vision for water control and quality on the entire Rock River are:

1. Establishing Communication lines between the owners/operators of the 19 dams of the Rock River for storm water control to alleviate flooding. These communication lines could be utilized for the levels of the recreational pools on the river as well.

2. A discussion of returning smaller tributaries to their original state

3. The feasibility of restoring, protecting and expanding wetlands.

4. The feasibility of shore-line cleansing pools to filter and clear the water.

5. A commitment to the preservation of farmland, as well as the prevention of flooding through the sale of agricultural land credits or agricultural easements attached to deeds to contain urban sprawl.

6. The promotion of organic farming standards on agricultural lands adjacent to the streambed.

7. The planting of prairie grasses that will not drown during flooding season in buffer zones on both shores of the river where ever possible to absorb and filter agricultural phosphorus, ammonia and nitrate runoff, as well as various toxic runoff in urban areas.

8. A program to promote adoption of strong Conservation Design Ordinances on the local and county levels along the entire Rock River.

9. The establishment of 57 water quality monitoring sites on the 285 miles of the Rock River, or 1 station for every five miles of the mainstream. These sites would be maintained by area students. Local elementary, high-school and college students and their instructors will be recruited as volunteers for these monitoring sites, with basic and advanced levels of testing being offered as educational and data gathering processes.