In their initial meetings last summer, FRSG focused on planning for a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study for three segments of the Fox River that appear on the state’s impaired waters list. One segment runs from Holiday Hills to Lake Barrington in McHenry and Lake counties, and two abutting segments run from South Elgin to North Aurora in Kane County. These segments were listed because results from at least one water sample suggested that there are water quality concerns. The most common concerns include low dissolved oxygen levels or high concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria.

Over the course of the last year, the FRSG has expanded its scope to the development of a comprehensive model of the Fox River Watershed. This model will allow the group to more clearly identify the current water quality status of the Fox River and will be a planning tool to evaluate best management practices and potential implications of development throughout the watershed. The Illinois EPA has funded the Illinois State Water Survey to gather and compile current water quality and land use information in the Fox watershed from the Stratton Dam to the river’s discharge into the Illinois River at Ottawa. This 15-month effort is Phase I of a 3-phase effort to develop a model of the watershed which can be used for future decision-making.

In order to supply the Water Survey with good information on the current water quality of the Fox River, FRSG has also undertaken a coordinated water quality monitoring effort. On April 30, the group began a twice-monthly collection and analysis of water samples from seven sites on the Fox River from Chapel Hill Rd. in Johnsburg