News of the Wild

Kress Creek Cleans Up

“Healing on a landscape level” is how John Oldenburg, director of the office of natural resources for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, describes the final and most ambitious step in the long saga of the Kerr-McGee thorium production cleanup. Under a new agreement, the chemical company Kerr-McGee will pay for the removal of contaminated soil from about eight miles of the West Branch of the DuPage River, as well as two miles of its tributary, Kress Creek. About 65 percent of this river section flows through three natural areas, including Blackwell Forest Preserve.

The $74 million cleanup project—including temporary diversion of water from parts of the river and soil removal—will be followed by a massive restoration effort, aided by a $10 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Once the five-year cleanup is completed, the county will not only repair the damage done by the soil excavation, but will also undo decades of land and water deterioration. This, Oldenburg says, “is probably one of the best opportunities to examine the more sensitive types of quality habitats,” and will enable the county to “kick-start and restore the hydrology which will lead to better habitat and water quality.”

Using what he calls a “river valley approach,” the county will restore large areas of degraded landscape through native plant seeding and upland reforestation. Dam removal and the creation of plunge pools, riffles, and side channels will promote both fish migration and species diversity, and new ephemeral ponds will provide suitable habitat for amphibians.

In addition, the county is looking at the possibility of constructing a stream research technical center and an invertebrate hatchery.

— Elizabeth Riotto