Yorkville Campaign Saves Blackberry Creek, Reroutes Sewer

A groundswell of concern has changed the course of human events in Yorkville, Illinois. Anticipating growth, the city and the Yorkville-Bristol Sanitary District had proposed construction of a high-capacity sewer line along a portion of Blackberry Creek. Residents, including science teacher Harry Wolf's Yorkville High School students who have been collecting data on the creek for the past four years, raised awareness of the area's unique value and environmental sensitivity, prompting officials to reevaluate the plan.

"The sanitary district and the city agreed it would be prudent to at least do a restoration plan if we put the sanitary inceptor sewer in," explained Tony Graff, city administrator. "Or, if an evaluation came back indicating that the sewer would cause major damage to the environment, then we would need to look for alternatives." Without being required to, the city contracted for an environmental assessment.

A Conservation Design Forum (CDF) evaluation identified 66 native plants in one fen alone, including shiny aster, bristly aster, and swamp thistle. "We came across a number of fens and seeps that are still intact and harbor a diversity of plants," noted Rebecca Cerf, CDF wetland specialist and restoration ecologist."There are still numerous remnant trees such as white ash, sycamore, and a couple beautiful bur oak trees. We also found stands of black ash and some of the largest black maple and hop hornbeam we know of in the Chicago Region." CDF found a total of 249 native species along Blackberry Creek north of Route 34 and Route 47. The proposed sewer route would have extended northward from an existing line that is south of Route 34 along Blackberry Creek.

In response to the CDF report, the city council approved an alternative route along Countryside Parkway on January 28. "The alternative route will cost more," Graff stated. "But the city council and sanitary district felt that the report tells us the environment is more important. We would have lost ecological balance. Some of the species along the creek may never have recovered." An increased infrastructure fee paid by developers will support the sewer expansion.

"We have a highly sensitive area that needs to be preserved and improved on," Graff continued. "We're not going to let development dictate the character of Yorkville; we're going to look at what the area's character was 100 to 200 years ago and respect that to become a unique community that people will want to live in."

The city is working with CDF to develop a restoration plan for all their greenways and creek and river corridors.

The city council is also drafting a wetlands ordinance. "Again, we're trying to take a proactive stance," explained Yorkville Mayor Arthur F. Prochaska, Jr. "In the past we would have relied on the state and federal government to deal with these issues," he continued, referring to the 2001 Supreme Court decision on isolated wetlands that left millions of acres of wetlands unprotected (CW, Spring 2001). The ordinance is expected to pass this spring.

— Alison Carney Brown