Agencies
Services
Watershed Based Planning
Watershed-based Planning
This Watershed-based Planning presentation provides an overview of the following topics.
- What is a watershed?
- What is a Watershed-based Plan?
- Why Write a Watershed-based Plan?
- What's in a Watershed-based Plan?
- Where can you learn more?
Guidance Documents
- A QUICK GUIDE to Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters
- Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters
- Guidance For Developing Watershed Action Plans in Illinois:
- USEPA watershed-based plan guidance found in Appendix C of the Nonpoint Source Program and Grants Guidelines for States and Territories dated April 12, 2013
- Critical Source Area Identification and BMP Selection: Supplement to Watershed Planning Handbook
Historic Watershed Planning Guidance Documents:
Load Estimation / Modeling
Additional Resources
- Illinois Watershed-Based Plan or Total Maximum Daily Load Implementation Plan Joint Evaluation Form
- IEPA 2020/2022 Integrated Report Web App (Interactive Map)
- Resource Management Mapping Service (Interactive Map)
(*The RMMS site is optimized for Chrome. Some features may not work in other browsers.) - Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework (ACPF) Toolbox
- Watershed Academy
- How's My Waterway
- Water Quality Assessment and TMDL Information
- Watershed Index Online
- Assessment and Total Maximum Daily Load Tracking and Implementation System (ATTAINS)
- WATERS GeoViewer
- Section 319(h) – Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Financial Assistance Program
- Section 604b Water Quality Management Planning Grant Program
- Watershed-based Planning Conference November 30, 2017
Watershed-based Plans in Illinois
The Illinois EPA recommends that watershed-based plans be reviewed ten years after the plan’s development to assess if any revisions should be considered. Older watershed-based plans, although listed below, may not meet the current expectations of a watershed-based plan.
| Title of Plan | Completion Date |
| Upper West Branch DuPage River Watershed-Based Plan | 12/31/2025 |
| Woods Creek Watershed Plan | 5/19/2025 |
| Central South Branch Kishwaukee River Watershed Plan | 3/15/2025 |
| Glenn Shoals Watershed Plan | 12/31/2024 |
| Camp Creek Watershed Plan | 7/31/2024 |
| Chain O Lakes Watershed Plan | 2/1/2024 |
| Sand Creek Watershed Plan | 10/31/2023 |
| Wildcat Creek Watershed Plan | 10/31/2023 |
| Willow Branch Watershed Plan | 10/31/2023 |
| Upper Salt Creek | 3/31/2023 |
| Mill Creek Watershed Based Plan | 1/31/2023 |
| Embarras River Watershed Plan | 12/31/2022 |
| Polecat Creek Watershed Plan | 12/31/2022 |
| The Slough Watershed Plan | 12/31/2022 |
| East Branch DuPage River | 11/30/2022 |
| Fiddyment Creek, Milne Creek, and Fraction Run Watershed Plan | 10/31/2022 |
| Keith Creek Watershed Based Plan | 8/31/2022 |
| Spring Creek Watershed Plan | 5/31/2022 |
| Mahoney Creek Watershed Plan | 3/31/2022 |
| Highland Silver Lake Watershed Plan | 11/30/2021 |
| North Branch Chicago River Watershed Plan | 9/9/2021 |
| Lake Michigan Watershed Plan | 6/30/2021 |
| Little Rock Creek Watershed Plan | 4/29/2021 |
| Wood River Watershed Plan | 12/31/2020 |
| South Fork Kent Creek | 12/31/2020 |
| American Bottoms Watershed Plan | 12/31/2020 |
| Piasa Creek Watershed Plan | 12/1/2020 |
| Friends Creek Watershed Plan | 7/1/2019 |
| Canteen-Cahokia Creek Watershed Plan | 12/31/2018 |
| Mill Creek Watershed Plan | 1/31/2023 |
| Upper Macoupin Creek Watershed Plan | 11/12/2019 |
| East Fork Creek Watershed Resource Inventory and Watershed Plan | 9/30/2019 |
| Pond Creek Watershed-based Plan | 09/01/2019 |
| Mill Creek Watershed-based Plan | 09/01/2019 |
| Lower Salt Creek Watershed-based Plan | 12/31/2018 |
| Indian Creek - Cahokia Creek Watershed Plan | 12/01/2018 |
| Lake Creek Watershed-based Plan | 11/01/2018 |
| Lower Des Plaines River Watershed-based Plan | 10/31/2018 |
| Poplar Creek Watershed-based Plan | 10/31/2018 |
| Galena River Watershed-based Plan: Phase 1 | 09/30/2018 |
| Upper Kaskaskia River Watershed TMDL Report | 09/01/2018 |
| Lower Silver Creek Watershed-Based Plan | 09/01/2018 |
| Des Plaines River Watershed-Based Plan | 06/01/2018 |
| Copperas Creek Watershed Based Plan | 06/01/2018 |
| Otter Lake Watershed Implementation Plan | 04/18/2018 |
| Flint Creek Watershed-based Plan Update | 03/01/2018 |
| Prairie Creek/Langan Creek Watershed Implementation Plan | 01/01/2018 |
| Upper Cache River Watershed Implementation Plan 2017 | 12/31/2017 |
| Little Calumet Watershed-based Plan | 12/20/2017 |
| Cal-Sag Channel Watershed-based Plan | 12/20/2017 |
| Lake Springfield Watershed-based Management Plan 2017 | 2017 |
| St. Joseph Creek Watershed-based Plan | 8/1/2017 |
| Kress Creek Watershed-based Plan | 8/1/2017 |
| Klein Creek Watershed-based Plan | 8/1/2017 |
| Sawmill Creek Watershed-based Plan | 8/1/2017 |
| Winfield Creek Watershed-based Plan | 8/1/2017 |
| State Street Creek and 7th Avenue Creek Watershed-based Plan | 4/1/2017 |
| Waverly Lake Watershed-based Plan and TMDL | 3/28/2017 |
| Hurricane Creek Watershed-based Plan | 11/1/2016 |
| Apple Canyon Lake Watershed Based Management Plan | 9/1/2016 |
| Silver Creek Watershed-based Plan | 7/15/2016 |
| Spring Branch Watershed Implementation Plan | 7/1/2016 |
| Boone-Dutch Creek Watershed-based Plan | 3/1/2016 |
| Buffalo Creek Watershed-Based Plan | 12/1/2015 |
| Upper Silver Creek Watershed-based Plan | 11/1/2015 |
| Spring Brook No. 1 Watershed Plan | 11/1/2015 |
| Thorn Creek Watershed Based Plan | 12/1/2014 |
| Lake Mauvaise Terre Watershed Implementation Plan | 10/31/2014 |
| Big/Long Creek Watershed TMDL Implementation Plan | 8/31/2014 |
| Big Ditch Watershed TMDL Implementation Plan | 8/31/2014 |
| East Branch South Branch Kishwaukee River Watershed-based Plan | 7/15/2014 |
| Candlewick Streams and Lakes Conservation Plan | 7/1/2014 |
| 9 Lakes Watershed-based Plan | 6/1/2014 |
| Mill Creek Watershed and Flood Mitigation Plan | 4/8/2014 |
| Long Run Creek Watershed-Based Plan | 3/31/2014 |
| Buckbee Creek Watershed Based Plan | 7/31/2013 |
| Madigan Creek Watershed Based Plan | 7/31/2013 |
| Jelkes Creek - Fox River Watershed Action Plan | 12/19/2012 |
| Spring Creek Watershed-Based Plan | 9/1/2012 |
| Ferson-Otter Creek Watershed Plan | 12/31/2011 |
| Blackberry Creek Watershed Action Plan | 12/30/2011 |
| Silver Creek and Sleepy Hollow Creek Watershed Action Plan | 12/1/2011 |
| North Mill Creek-Dutch Gap Canal Watershed-Based Plan | 11/1/2011 |
| Clear Creek Watershed Action Plan | 9/30/2011 |
| Cedar Lake Watershed Needs Evaluation | 8/1/2011 |
| Watershed Plan for Highland Silver Lake Watershed | 7/1/2011 |
| Lower DuPage River Watershed Based Plan | 6/1/2011 |
| Hickory Creek Watershed Plan | 6/1/2011 |
| Indian Creek, Dago Slough, and Prairie Creek LRS/TMDL | 12/16/2010 |
| Crystal Lake Clean Lakes Phase 1 Protection Plan | 9/1/2010 |
| Aux Sable Creek Watershed Plan | 6/1/2009 |
| Staunton Lake Phase 1 Diagnostic Feasibility Study | 5/1/2009 |
| Jackson Creek Watershed Plan – Technical Report | 4/1/2009 |
| Rock River Ravines Watershed Plan 2008 | 12/1/2008 |
| Upper Kishwaukee River Watershed Plan – Technical Report | 11/1/2008 |
| Dead River Watershed - Based Plan | 9/1/2008 |
| Lawrence Creek Watershed Plan – Technical Report | 9/1/2008 |
| Kellogg Creek Watershed - Based Plan | 9/1/2008 |
| Beaver Creek Watershed Action Plan – Technical Report | 9/1/2008 |
| Big Bureau Creek Watershed Based Plan | 8/5/2008 |
| Greater Bear Creek Area Watershed Plan | 7/1/2008 |
| Spring Lake Watershed Plan | 7/1/2008 |
| Evergreen Lake Watershed Plan | 7/1/2008 |
| Lower Part of the Upper Sangamon River Watershed Resource Plan | 6/25/2008 |
| Lake Bloomington Watershed Plan | 6/17/2008 |
| Watershed Implementation Plan for Lake Vermilion and the North Fork Vermilion River | 6/1/2008 |
| North Branch Chicago River Watershed-Based Plan | 9/29/2025 |
| Mary’s River/North Fork Cox Creek TMDL Implementation Plan | 4/3/2008 |
| Fish Lake Drain Watershed Management Plan | 4/1/2008 |
| Bull Creek/Bulls Brook Watershed-Based Plan | 3/31/2008 |
| Shoal Creek Watershed TMDL Implementation Plan | 3/17/2008 |
| Crab Orchard Creek Watershed TMDL Implementation Plan | 3/6/2008 |
| Georgetown Lake TMDL Implementation Plan | 3/4/2008 |
| The Tyler Creek Watershed Plan | 3/1/2008 |
| South Fork Saline River/Lake of Egypt Watershed TMDL Report | 2/28/2008 |
| Paris Twin Lakes TMDL Implementation Plan | 2/28/2008 |
| The Nippersink Creek Watershed Plan | 2/1/2008 |
| Cedar Creek/Cedar Lake TMDL Implementation Plan | 2/1/2008 |
| Upper DuPage River Watershed Plan | 12/31/2007 |
| Flint Creek Watershed-Based Plan | 12/31/2007 |
| Waukegan River Watershed Plan | 12/31/2007 |
| Lake Carlinville Watershed Plan & Phase 1 Study | 12/1/2007 |
| South Fork Sangamon River/Lake Taylorville Watershed TMDL Report | 12/1/2007 |
| Bay Creek Watershed TMDL Report | 11/1/2007 |
| Eagle Creek Watershed Plan | 8/11/2007 |
| Cahokia Creek/ Holiday Shores Lake Watershed TMDL Report | 8/1/2007 |
| East Fork LaMoine River Watershed TMDL Report | 8/1/2007 |
| Poplar Creek Watershed Action Plan | 7/1/2007 |
| Clinton Lake Watershed Management Plan | 6/29/2007 |
| Watershed Implementation Plan for the Upper Salt Fork of the Vermilion River | 5/1/2007 |
| TMDL Implementation Plan Macoupin Creek Watershed | 2/1/2007 |
| Mauvaise Terre Creek Watershed TMDL Implementation Plan | 12/1/2006 |
| Rayse Creek Watershed Management Plan | 11/30/2006 |
| Hodges Creek Watershed TMDL Implementation Plan | 11/1/2006 |
| Kinkaid Lake Phase 1 Diagnostic/Feasibility Study | 9/1/2006 |
| Glenn Shoals Lake Phase 1 Diagnostic Feasibility Study | 9/1/2006 |
| Indian Creek Watershed Plan | 6/1/2006 |
| Raccoon Lake Phase 1 Diagnostic Feasibility Study | 6/1/2006 |
| Kinmundy Old Reservoir Phase 1 Diagnostic & Feasibility Study | 9/1/2005 |
| Patriots Park Lake Phase 1 Diagnostic Feasibility Study | 6/1/2005 |
| Dutchman Creek TMDL Report | 10/1/2004 |
| Casey Fork TMDL Report | 10/1/2004 |
| Vandalia Lake TMDL Report | 10/1/2004 |
| Sequoit Creek Watershed Plan | 7/1/2004 |
| Beaucoup Creek TMDL Report | 6/1/2004 |
| Squaw Creek Watershed Management Plan | 5/1/2004 |
| Total Maximum Daily Load Development for Fox River | 4/1/2004 |
| Lake Paradise Phase 1 Diagnostic/Feasibility Study | 3/1/2004 |
| Campus LakePhase 1 Diagnostic/Feasibility Study | 3/1/2004 |
| Tenmile Creek Watershed Restoration Plan | 1/1/2004 |
| Partridge Creek Watershed Restoration Plan | 1/1/2004 |
| Ackerman Creek Watershed Restoration Plan | 1/1/2004 |