SALT CREEK WATERSHED

The Salt Creek watershed encompasses 152 square miles of highly urbanized land in western Cook and eastern DuPage Counties.

The Salt Creek watershed encompasses 152 square miles of highly urbanized land in western Cook and eastern DuPage Counties.  It has a number of tributaries of which the largest are Addison Creek and Spring Brook. The main stem of Salt Creek is approximately 42 linear miles and has a rise of 225 feet.  Salt Creek flows into the Des Plaines River in Lyons, which is tributary to the Illinois River. There are 40 municipalities located within the watershed and 11 publicly owned treatment plants discharge effluent to Salt Creek. Additionally, 6 combined sewer overflow outfalls are present.

Land uses in the Salt Creek watershed are shown in the land use summary table. Measured at the USGS station at Western Springs (station 05531500), annual mean flow for the river is 135 cfs (calculated from data for water years 1946-2004).

Upper Salt Creek Watershed-Based Plan

The DRSCW with assistance from Hey and Associates and Geosyntec has completed the Section 319 Watershed Based Plan for the Upper Salt Creek Watershed. The Final Report and all additional requirements have been or will be submitted before the March 31, 2023 due date.

Funding for this project was provided in part from IEPA via a Section 604(b) grant. This plan follows the watershed-based planning guidelines established by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, and was developed based on elements of the Lower Salt Creek Watershed based plan, allowing both reports to be used together for planning purposes. Completion of this project represents a major gain for water quality in Northeastern Illinois, and will enable organizations to apply for Section 319 grant funding for future non-point source pollution and restoration projects.

View the Upper Salt Creek Watershed-Based Plan

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The mission of the DRSCW is to bring together a diverse coalition of stakeholders to work together to preserve and enhance water quality and stream resource quality in the East Branch DuPage River, West Branch DuPage River, Salt Creek, and their tributaries.

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