10 POH ES eA UD U2: Ne Baer eee, 
heavily wooded sections with a fine interspersion of deep pools, riffles, and 
log shelters. It provides excellent fish habitat and supports a good sport 
fishery. Because of presence of streamside trees, brush and marshy areas 
the flood plain provides good upland game habitat. 
Unfortunately this type of flood control or abatement has come into 
more common use. Streams and streamside environments are being de- 
stroyed at an alarming rate in Illinois. Numerous streams and rivers are 
currently being planned for so-called “channel improvement” by the U. S. 
Soil Conservation Services and the Corps of Engineers. In one watershed, 
the Big Muddy River, some 1,018 miles of such “improvements” are in- 
cluded in the flood control works. Fortunately none of this is to be done 
under the Early Action Program. It will be done later, however, unless 
there are policy changes in the meantime. 
The Saline River system in southeastern Illinois has been extensively 
channelized by the Corps and more is under construction at the present 
time. Local conservancy districts are organizing to channelize all streams 
in several southeastern counties. The Cache and LaMoine rivers are current- 
ly under study by the Corps for channelization. 
If the present trend continues, soon there will be few natural streams 
and rivers left in Illinois. 
We feel there are alternative approaches to the problem of flood control. 
One, of course, is flood plain zoning and the establishment of environmental 
corridors along the streams and rivers. Another is one we have suggested 
to the Corps of Engineers in the case of the Big Muddy River. This is to 
apply all possible land treatment measures using incentive payments, if 
necessary, to get them installed. Follow this with the construction of 
numerous upper watershed detention reservoirs, some of which would be 
strictly detention facilities while others could serve as multiple purpose 
reservoirs. When these have been completed, allow an interim period of 
5 years in which to evaluate their effect on floods and to reassess the need 
for channel modifications. 
There may be a need for limited channel work, particularly in the 
vicinity of urban areas and industrial facilities. However, we consider 
channel improvement to be a last resort, a measure taken when all other 
means have been considered and found to be inadequate. In all cases, 
each stream modification project must be evaluated on an individual basis 
and no evaluation should be undertaken on a crisis or crash basis. However, 
we believe that the present trend toward channelizing all streams should 
and must be reversed. 
In those instances where stream modification including channelization 
must be used, there are measures which can be used to minimize the 
detrimental effects and to improve habitat conditions over what they would 
be if the area is left in its raw post-construction condition. Some such 
measures are: 
1. When widening a stream channel, confine the widening to one side 
only, thus leaving the streamside vegetation undisturbed on one side. The 
widening could be alternated from one side to the other, taking advantage 
of the open or clear side and leaving the maximum amount of undisturbed 
woody vegetation. 
2. In the excavation process, create a shaped channel to concentrate 
flow during periods of low flow. 
