Illinois RiverWatch

Illinois RiverWatch The Illinois RiverWatch Network safeguards the future of Illinois rivers and streams through stewardship, education, and sound science.

RiverWatch is a statewide partnership of organizations and individuals working to protect Illinois’ streams. Certified volunteers, referred to as Citizen Scientists, collect reliable water quality data that are used to determine how stream conditions are changing over time. Data on streams dating back to 1995 are maintained by NGRREC in a user-friendly, online database. Following an eight-hour tra

ining workshop, Citizen Scientists adopt a stream site and conduct an annual habitat and biological survey of their site between May 1 and June 30. The program is available to all Illinois residents ages 18 and older. No prior experience is required. Training events are provided in March and April. Sampling equipment is available at numerous facilities around the state at no cost to the volunteer.

Here are the graphics for the final two weeks of the official Winter Chloride Watch season. Several volunteers in urban ...
05/01/2026

Here are the graphics for the final two weeks of the official Winter Chloride Watch season. Several volunteers in urban communities have extra test strips to monitor into May, so we will plan to provide another update or two. This is particularly important since we are well past the end of the winter salting season, but are still finding high chloride concentrations. Just a week ago we had a volunteer measure chloride over 1300 ppm!!

Chloride concentrations remain above levels that are safe for aquatic life. Hopefully levels will be going down in the ...
04/18/2026

Chloride concentrations remain above levels that are safe for aquatic life. Hopefully levels will be going down in the near future.

Our Winter Speaker Series recordings have been uploaded on YouTube! Alison Breakfield's presentation on Microplastics an...
04/13/2026

Our Winter Speaker Series recordings have been uploaded on YouTube! Alison Breakfield's presentation on Microplastics and Mussels is available now: https://youtu.be/7nDfauBQgQc

The weather outside is warming up, but we are still seeing high chloride concentrations that are harmful to the inverte...
04/13/2026

The weather outside is warming up, but we are still seeing high chloride concentrations that are harmful to the invertebrates that live in our waterways. Some may not think it is important to protect the "water bugs," but these animals are a very important food source to the animals higher on the food chain like fish and birds!

Chloride in small streams is harmful to the health of the animals living in the water. To protect aquatic life, Illinois...
04/08/2026

Chloride in small streams is harmful to the health of the animals living in the water. To protect aquatic life, Illinois water quality standards limit chloride to 500 ppm. High chloride is often the result of excessive use of road salt, particurlarly in urban areas during the winter.

Salt used in the winter can reach waterways in just a few minutes through stormwater systems or in several months through shallow groundwater flow. For this reason, we have volunteers checking for chloride through May.

All of March in one post!! The end date for the weekly post is in the upper right of each graphic. Every week there have...
04/01/2026

All of March in one post!! The end date for the weekly post is in the upper right of each graphic. Every week there have been samples above 600 ppm, indicating that road salt is making its way into our waterways. DuPage County shows up each week, but this is largely because so many of the monitoring sites are in that area.

Glad to see our volunteers learning about the life in local rivers and streams!!
04/01/2026

Glad to see our volunteers learning about the life in local rivers and streams!!

Volunteers with Winter Chloride Watch collected 28 samples in the past week. Three locations had chloride concentrations...
02/27/2026

Volunteers with Winter Chloride Watch collected 28 samples in the past week. Three locations had chloride concentrations higher than 500 ppm.

This week, 68 samples were collected by volunteers. Chloride concentrations in 14 (20%) of these samples were higher tha...
02/20/2026

This week, 68 samples were collected by volunteers. Chloride concentrations in 14 (20%) of these samples were higher than the 500 ppm limit set in Illinois water quality standards to protect aquatic life.

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5800 Godfrey Road
Godfrey, IL
62035

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+16184682784

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