4 THE AU DU BOW (BLU iL Eb TIN 
by the Corps and conservationists as a great improvement over channeliza- 
tion. Unfortunately, the DOW is attempting to decrease the size of the 
greenbelt. 
VERMILLION RIVER (Vermillion County): The Vermillion River has 
three branches which meet near Danville. The North Fork presently hosts 
an Illinois Power Company dam. The Middle Fork, which is a good canoe 
stream, is the site of a hotly-contested proposed DOW recreation dam. The 
last major wooded area on the Salt Fork has been selected for a COE dam 
about 10 miles from the proposed dam on the Middle Fork. The WVA will 
support this dam too. 
EMBARRAS RIVER: The Lincoln Reservoir project near Charleston 
threatens to eliminate what little wildlife habitat remains in Douglas and 
Coles counties and disrupt drainage on over 150 thousand acres of the 
nation’s best farmland. For these reasons farmers and conservationists are 
bitterly opposing this project. Less costly alternatives to the $60 million 
(Illinois’ share—$12 million) reservoir exist, but are “politically unfeasible.” 
The WVA, which strongly supports the project, specializes in “political 
feasibility.” 
LITTLE WABASH RIVER: The Little Wabash is about to receive the 
authorized COE Louisville Reservoir near Louisville. This $31 million 
project (Illinois share—$7 million) will inundate the section of the river 
which has the greatest natural value. On the Skillet Fork of the Little 
Wabash COE plans call for the $24 million (Illinois share—$8.7 million) 
Helm Reservoir near Helm. Both projects are supported by the WVA. The 
DOW has channelized part of the river and have indicated that they would 
like to dig out much more. 
SALINE RIVER: The Saline River is currently being channelized by 
the COE at a cost of $10 million. This is another “improvement” supported 
by the WVA. 
BIG MUDDY WATERSHED: Rend Lake is nearing completion on the 
Big Muddy. This $54 million (Illinois’ share—$10 million) project is expected 
to return an annual benefit of two cents on the dollar according to the 
Corps. An environmental corridor is planned below the dam since the 
CONSERVATION GROUPS SUE SOIL CONSERVATION 
SERVICE TO ENJOIN STREAM CHANNELIZATION PROJECT 
The Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Wildlife Fed- 
eration and Friends of the Earth announced Dec. 2 the filing of a 
major lawsuit against the Department of Agriculture’s Soil Con- 
servation Service (SCS) to halt the “channelization” of Chicod Creek 
in eastern North Carolina. 
“This project makes no sense in terms of ecology or economics,” 
a spokesman for the three groups said. “The Chicod Project exem- 
plifies the environmental threat posed by the SCS’s extensive 
channelization program.” The groups said that this lawsuit repre- 
sents the first time environmentalists have challenged SCS chan- 
nelization practices in court. 
