Kendall floodplain to be restored
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September 26, 2009
By CHRISTINE S. MOYER CMOYER@SCN1.COM
A stretch of farmland along the Fox River in Kendall County will soon be restored to its
natural state in an effort to lessen flooding and improve water quality.
U.S. Rep. Bill Foster's office announced Friday that the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation division awarded $86,500 for the Lower
Fox Watershed in Kendall County.
The funds will be used to restore 27 acres from crop land to native vegetation.
Jason Pettit, Kendall County Forest Preserve director, said the property is in a
Millbrook floodplain.
"By restoring and protecting the Lower Fox River ... we ensure that surrounding
communities are protected from the damage that occurs when the river floods," Foster
said in a news release issued Friday.
Some 320 applications from across the state were submitted for the federal stimulus
funding, said Jon Hubbert, assistant state conservationist for northeastern Illinois. This
pool of applicants was narrowed down to the 10 best applications, Hubbert said.
In total, 864 acres across the state will be involved in floodplain restoration throughout
the next year, according to Hubbert.
He noted that the goal is not to destroy farmland. Rather, he said the state's National
Resource Conservation Service wants to keep the best ground as farmland.
However, some ground, Hubbert said, "is best served to be put in conservation land
use."
Wetland areas serve as a filter for water running through them during floods, Hubbert
explained.
Heavy vegetation filters out sediments and other pollutants from the water before it
runs into larger bodies of water -- in this case, the Fox River, Hubbert said.
"The longer the water is in contact with vegetation, the better the water quality benefits
you receive," Hubbert said.
The Kendall County project is expected to be completed by December of 2010,
according to Hubbert.