The Madison County Stormwater Management Commission and the Building & Zoning Department are completing a Countywide Stormwater Management Plan.  The purpose of the plan is to address issues associated with stormwater for both incorporated and unincorporated parts of the county.  The countywide approach is intended to put everyone on the same page and create multi-jurisdictional opportunities instead of addressing issues individually.  Over the last few years, planners have been working with municipalities and townships to identify a wide range of flooding, drainage, and water quality issues and establish best management practices to address them.  The overall goals of the plan are as follows:

• Reduce flooding and mitigate flood damage
• Improve water quality
• Promote best practices for land development
• Develop organizational and regulatory framework
• Conduct public education and outreach

An outgrowth of the management framework are individual watershed plans.  The watershed plans provide the opportunity to identify and examine specific issues on a local level and propose projects to alleviate those issues.  The watershed plans also provide greater opportunity for public input through public forums, stakeholder meetings, and resident surveys.


The geographic boundaries of the watersheds are associated with the primary creek system within the larger drainage area. This strategy was chosen since it involves multiple municipalities and townships that are linked together by the creek and each watershed has shared impacts.  Planners have completed plans for Upper Silver Creek, Indian Creek, and Canteen Creek watersheds, and they’re nearly finished with a plan for the American Bottom watershed, which is also known as Judy’s Branch. After the American Bottom plan is completed, the team will begin planning for the Wood River Creek and Piasa Creek watersheds.

To date, the efforts have helped raise over $1 million in grants from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  The $500k Upper Silver Creek grant and $450k Silver Lake grant are being expended to address issues in their respective watersheds.  Another $200k will go to fund the Wood River Creek and Piasa Creek watersheds.  In addition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has partnered in the efforts by providing in-kind support by completing comprehensive studies of the natural drainage system within each watershed.

Wood River Watershed Plan	Piasa Creek Watershed Plan

Executive Summary -Wood River Watershed Plan
Update: 2/7/2022
Executive Summary - Piasa Creek Watershed Plan
Update: 2/7/2022

Canteen-Cahokia Creek Watershed Plan	Indian-Cahokia Creek Watershed Plan	Upper Silver Creek Watershed Plan

Executive Summary - Canteen-Cahokia Creek Watershed Plan
Update: 3/2/2020
Executive Summary - Indian-Cahokia Creek Watershed Plan 
Update: 3/2/2020

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Article
Illinois EPA awards nearly $954,000 to HeartLands Conservancy for water quality protection within the Canteen Creek-Cahokia Creek Watershed

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director John J. Kim announced HeartLands Conservancy will receive nearly $954,000 in grant funding to provide technical and financial assistance to rural and urban landowners to voluntarily implement the locally developed Canteen Creek-Cahokia Creek Watershed Plan.

View Full Article Here 

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Grant Program
Canteen-Cahokia Creek Watershed 319 Cost Share Program

The goal of this program is to improve water quality in the Canteen-Cahokia Creek watershed by facilitating the voluntary implementation of highly effective Best Management Practices (BMPs). Approved projects will be eligible for reimbursement of up to 50% of the total project cost, while the applicant will be responsible for at least 50%.  

If you are interested in participating in the program, please fill out an application form.
More information can be found here.

Updated: 3/2/2020

For more information, please contact;
Gabrielle Reed
Stormwater Coordinator
gbreed@madisoncountyil.gov
618-296-4665