Supported by a Clean Water Act Section 604(b) planning grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), CMAP has partnered with Kane County’s Division of Environmental and Water Resources and Development and Community Services Department along with the Fox River Ecosystem Partnership and Fox River Study Group to develop a watershed-based plan for the Mill Creek Watershed. The watershed is a 31 square mile area that drains to Mill Creek -- a tributary of the Fox River -- and includes the majority of four municipalities (Batavia, Campton Hills, Geneva, and St. Charles) and five townships within east-central Kane County. Originating in a Campton Hills subdivision approximately a half mile west of the Campton Forest Preserve, Mill Creek meanders in a south-southeast direction for nearly 15 miles and junctures at the Fox River in an unincorporated area of Batavia.
The purpose of this plan is to work with local stakeholders to develop planning, policy, and on-the-ground project recommendations that upon implementation will help improve and protect the water quality in Mill Creek, its tributaries, and the numerous wetlands, lakes, and ponds within this agricultural and urbanized area. The plan will follow watershed-based planning guidelines established by the U.S. EPA and Illinois EPA in order for implementation projects to be eligible for Clean Water Act Section 319(h) grant funding. The full plan is scheduled for completion in September 2019.