Foxconn Floodplain, Watershed Impact Analysis Presented To County

LAKE COUNTY, IL — The initial results of an analysis of the impact of the Foxconn Technology Group site in Kenosha County, Wisconsin and other development in the upper Des Plaines River watershed were presented Thursday to the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission board.

The study warns of outdated floodplain mapping, a growing stormwater storage deficit, a net loss of watershed in the Des Plaines and Fox River watersheds, as well as water quality degradation caused by sediments from construction sites in the recently formed Electronics, Information Technology and Manufacturing Zone across the Illinois–Wisconsin border.

"Flooding and water quality issues don't stop at the state line," said Stormwater Management Commission Chairman Craig Taylor, a Lake Zurich Republican who represents District 19 on the Lake County Board. "It's imperative that we're looking at environmental issues and impacts in both Illinois and Wisconsin so we can protect residents and businesses in both states."

Present and planned developments in Wisconsin's EITM Zone totals nearly 2,100 acres within the Des Plaines River watershed. Runoff from the area travels downstream through Lake, Cook and Will counties before it drains into the Illinois River, according to the report. Currently, the Des Plaines River downstream of the state line is listed by the Illinois Environmental Protection agency as "impaired" from total suspended solids and sedimentation due to the development.

Wisconsin lawmakers exempted Foxconn from a requirement to produce a state environmental impact statement, loosened wetland rules to allow for the fill of wetlands in the area and waived water quality certification requirements, among other incentives.

Earlier: Illinois Officials Urge Wisconsin Governor To Reconsider Foxconn Environmental Waivers

So far, 38 acres of wetlands and waters have been filled in the EITM Zone, and more is expected if the current development rules are not modified, according to the commission. Compared to Lake County regulations, there is a storage deficit of about 55,000 gallons of stormwater for every acre developed in the zone.

In a joint letter last month, four members of Congress representing Lake County — representatives Brad Schneider and Lauren Underwood and senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin — wrote to recently inaugurated Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers asking him to have Foxconn's construction plans subjected to "stringent environmental review, especially with consideration to stormwater management."

The draft report, commissioned last June from Rosemont-based Christopher Burke Engineering and presented March 7 to Lake County officials, laid out a series of four key recommendations for mitigating the risk of worsening flooding and water quality in Lake County:

• The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois State Water Survey, with consultation the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, should complete a "comprehensive and collaborative" mapping update of the floodplain in the Des Plaines River watershed.
• The watershed should "immediately be designated a Flood Storage District in Wisconsin" to require compensatory storage for all areas filled in floodplains.
• Lost wetland in the watershed should be be replaced within the watershed, including impacts related to road projects from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
• All construction sites should be required to have comprehensive soil erosion and sediment controls and put in place "rigorous enforcement inspections to verify compliance," along with legal and financial tools, to prevent further degradation of water quality.

"It is critical that these four major issues are addressed in order to help mitigate flooding concerns in both Wisconsin and Illinois as well as to ensure the health of the [Des Plaines River watershed.]" said Stormwater Management Commission Executive Director Mike Warner.

The commission is accepting public comment on the report through April 8. Interested members of the public were asked to send comments to stormwater@lakecountyil.gov.

Read more from the full draft report; its executive summary or slides from the March 7 presentation via the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission.

Related:

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• Illinois Officials Worry About Foxconn Environmental Impact
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• How Tony Evers Will Affect Foxconn Deal After Gov. Scott Walker
• Foxconn Groundbreaking: Trump Ushers In New Day For Wisconsin