Sedimentation and in-stream sediment management Bhowmik, N. G., and G. R. Clark. 1993. Sedimentation and in-stream sediment management. Pages 47-61 in Proceedings, 1993 Governor's Conference on the Management of the Illinois River System, Fourth Biennial Conference, Peoria, Illinois, September 21-22, 1993. Reprinted by the National Biological Survey, Environmental Management Technical Center, Onalaska, Wisconsin, July 1994. LTRMP 94-R009. 15 pp. (NTIS #PB94-206224) ABSTRACT Erosion and sedimentation are natural processes that cannot be stopped or eliminated entirely. Both processes have been accelerated by human intervention. According to the Illinois State Water Plan Task Force report published in 1984, erosion and sedimentation is the major critical issue in water resources facing the State of Illinois. The Illinois River basin drains about 44 percent of the State of Illinois. Most backwater lakes along the Illinois River have lost about 72 percent of their original capacity, and sediment has already filled in some of these lakes. This excessive rate of sedimentation has reduced the ecological and recreational value of most lakes along the river, making sedimentation the most difficult and still unmanaged problem facing the Illinois River valley. The management of soil erosion and sedimentation in the Illinois River basin will be one of the major environmental issues in Illinois for years to come. Consequently, a comprehensive management plan needs to include two major components: erosion control and sediment management. The erosion control component includes developing programs to control watershed erosion, streambank erosion, and bluff erosion. The sediment management component will have to deal with four major issues: backwater sedimentation, main channel sedimentation, sediment removal at selected reaches, and sediment quality. KEYWORDS Illinois River, sediment sedimentation, backwater, Peoria Lake, dredging sediment load, sediment management