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Lake Decatur Watershed Management Plan <br /> Task 1.3: Monitoring Plan <br /> 1. Thorough research and engagement with stakeholders, we learned from current <br /> and past monitoring efforts and associated data in the watershed to develop a <br /> focused and cost-effective monitoring plan. <br /> 2. The City's monitoring investment with the ISWS from 1993—2008 was <br /> instrumental in guiding a very focused monitoring plan. <br /> 3. Established partnerships with the ISWS and NGRREC to leverage their <br /> complementary programs already occurring in the watershed to save money and <br /> eliminate redundant efforts. <br /> 4. The monitoring plan includes the following: <br /> a. Bi-weekly monitoring of nitrate, phosphorus, sediment and flow/river <br /> stage at three stations in the watershed in partnership with the ISWS <br /> (Sangamon River at Cisco bridge, Friend's Creek and Lost Creek. This <br /> captures approximately 75%of the watershed area. <br /> i. The ISWS is already working bi-weekly in the watershed as part of <br /> a 5-year National Science Foundation (NSF)grant, so there is <br /> significant cost savings from this alignment. <br /> ii. Northwater will monitor storms and perform monitoring at these <br /> stations to capture these events in different seasons. <br /> b. A real-time monitoring station will be installed on the Upper Sangamon <br /> River at the Cisco bridge in partnership with NGRREC. This station will <br /> collect data for nitrate,turbidity, and river stage at 15-minute increments <br /> for at least a 5-year period. Based on analyses, this is the closest location <br /> to Lake Decatur that can provide representative data to estimate nitrate <br /> and sediment loads. <br /> i. The commissioning of this station will be delayed until notice of <br /> the RCPP award, anticipated in the spring of 2021. This allows for <br /> this City expenditure to count as match and unlock more funding <br /> for implementation projects. <br /> ii. NGRREC is already monitoring in upper Lake Decatur for the same <br /> parameters and using the same instrumentation proposed for the <br /> Cisco bridge site. There are significant cost savings in this <br /> partnership, plus the complementary monitoring data that <br /> NGRREC is collecting the lake will continue to be collected into the <br /> foreseeable future. <br /> c. Two proposed BMP sites will be monitored starting in Phase II in order to <br /> collect baseline data. Flow, sediment, nitrate and phosphorus data will <br /> be collected during baseflow and storm-flow events in advance of the <br /> projects being constructed. Monitoring will continue after construction <br /> to monitor improvements. <br /> i. Ravine near the airport in the Bluffs watershed. <br /> ii. BMP at the DeWitt Wellfield site. <br /> Page 5 of 6 <br />