Sedimentation and in-stream sediment management

Erosion and sedimentation are natural processes that cannot be
stopped or eliminated entirely.  Both processes have been
accelerated by human intervention.  According to the Illinois
State Water Plan Task Force report published in 1984, erosion and
sedimentation is the major critical issue in water resources
facing the State of Illinois.  The Illinois River basin drains
about 44 percent of the State of Illinois.  Most backwater lakes
along the Illinois River have lost about 72 percent of their
original capacity, and sediment has already filled in some of
these lakes.  This  excessive rate of sedimentation has reduced
the ecological and recreational value of most lakes along the
river, making sedimentation the most difficult and still unmanaged
problem facing the Illinois River valley.

The management of soil erosion and sedimentation in the Illinois
River basin will be one of the major environmental issues in
Illinois for years to come.  Consequently, a comprehensive
management plan needs to include two major components:  erosion
control and sediment management.  The erosion control component
includes developing programs to control watershed erosion,
streambank erosion, and bluff erosion.  The sediment management
component will have to deal with four major issues:  backwater
sedimentation, main channel sedimentation, sediment removal at
selected reaches, and sediment quality.