R2012-87 AUTHORIZING AGREEMENT WITH AGRICULTURAL WATERSHED INSTITUTE

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Agreement No. 604105 and invitation list to Illinois EPA by August 1, 2012. The Recipient shall hold the project kick-off meeting by September 1, 2012. 3. The Recipient shall organize and conduct four (4) stakeholder meetings to be held in each sub-watershed to educate the public on the watershed-based TMDL implementation planning process and to solicit input and comments. The Recipient shall submit a final agenda for the stakeholder meetings to the Illinois EPA at least one month prior to the execution of said meeting. The first public meeting will be held by September 1, 2012. The second public meeting will be held by March 1, 2013. The third public meeting will be'held by September 1, 2013 and the fourth will be held by March 1, 2014. BMP SCENARIOS TECHNICAL REPORT 4. The Recipient, through a subcontract with the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS), will prepare one (1) technical report containing alternative scenarios for the implementation of selected best management practices (BMPs) designed to reduce nonpoint source pollution in the watersheds identified in Item 1 of this Agreement along with the costs and expected pollutant load reductions associated with the BMPs of each scenario. The Recipient, in partnership with the ISWS and the committee, shall engage scientists, conservation professionals, and watershed stakeholders in a watershed-based TMDL implementation planning process to reduce nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) and TSS through a combination of in-field, edge-of-field, and riparian corridor techniques, some of which are in the experimental stage or not yet widely used in Illinois. Practices to be considered include cover crops, drainage water management, bioreactors, saturated buffers, two-stage ditches, and wetlands. The process will be designed and conducted to produce an implementable plan for the watershed and to serve as a template for other watersheds to consider a suite of current and emerging BMPs effective at reducing nutrient loss from tile- drained cropland. Models will be used to develop alternative scenarios for BMP implementation and their resulting load reductions. Costs will be estimated for each scenario. The appropriate scenario(s) will be selected and incorporated into the implementation plan recommendations. One (1) paper copy and one (1) electronic copy of the draft BMP Scenarios Technical Report shall be completed and submitted by the Recipient to the Illinois EPA by February 15, 2014. The final BMP Scenarios Technical Report shall be completed and three (3) paper copies and one (1) electronic copy submitted by the Recipient to the Illinois EPA by May 31, 2014. BIG CREEK WATERSHED-BASED TMDL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 5. Watershed Resource Inventory - The Recipient shall compile a comprehensive watershed resource inventory (Inventory) for the Big Creek watershed, Hydrologic Unit Codes 071300060409 and 071300060406, a tributary of Lake Decatur. The Inventory shall include the natural, human, and man-made resources in the Big Creek watershed. The inventory shall identify current nutrient and TSS loadings and potential sources of those loadings in the Big Creek watershed. Existing GIS data, water quality data, and other relevant information shall be compiled for inclusion in the Inventory. Data sources may include the Lake Decatur TMDL report, GIS soils data, ISWS monitoring reports, and other completed watershed plans, including the Lower Part of the Upper Sangamon River Watershed Resource Plan. One (1) paper copy and one (1) electronic copy of the draft Inventory shall be completed and submitted by the Recipient to the Illinois EPA by February 15, 2013. The final Inventory shall be completed and one (1) paper copy and one (1) electronic copy shall be submitted by the Recipient to the Illinois EPA by April 1, 2013. page 2 of 7 vie