Enforcing Vital Stormwater Policy
Currently, many municipalities are fighting with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County staff because they do not want to adhere to the new stormwater policy, even though it will actually result in better protection for their communities. They fear added costs will suppress development.
Friends of the Forest Preserves, along with its coalition partners, need your help to ensure that the Forest Preserve District Board of Commissioners passes the Stormwater Management Policy. The policy is a crucial measure needed to further protect and preserve the ecosystems and resources in the preserves, as well as neighboring businesses and homes.
The District has developed and tested this policy over several years and some communities, like Elk Grove Village, are embracing it in order to improve stormwater management in their community along with protecting their cherished forest preserves (Busse Woods). Supporting this policy is also essential in showing support for the District and its progress with continuing to propose environmentally beneficial policies such as this and the Land Policy.
Why Stormwater Policy Matters
- The forest preserves of Cook County store 80% of the stormwater in Cook County, while they only occupy 11% of the land area.
- When stormwater is delivered through poorly designed and maintained systems it causes significant damaged through erosion and sedimentation.
- Stormwater is delivered to the forest preserves in too high of a volume, too forcefully, too warm, and full of contaminants, and therefore most of it is harmful to the people, along with the plants and animals, that use the forest preserves.
Solutions
- The customized volume, velocity and vegetation controls in the stormwater policy are imperative to prevent stormwater from inundating these precious natural resources and ultimately the surrounding residential and commercial areas.
- The policy effectively curbs erosion and settles out pollutants that otherwise would flush into our waterways.
