This outreach brochure provides simple steps for homeowners to conserve on outdoor water use. Lawn watering and other outdoor water uses can account for 30 percent of Illinois home water usage throughout the summer, but only half of that water penetrates the soil, with the rest lost due to inefficient watering practices. Reducing outdoor water waste in Illinois saves money and protects our limited water resources, especially during times of drought. We can all take a few simple steps to use water more efficiently.

Alternate Version

A printer friendly version is available here.

En Español

Conservación del agua en espacios exteriores en español está aquí.
La publicación para imprimir está disponible aquí aquí.

This table provides a review of the current contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) literature base. This resource provides an overview of the different categories of CECs (e.g., pharmaceuticals, microplastics, pesticides, etc.), examples of chemicals found within those categories, where various CECs have been detected, and the health effects found in both environmental and lab-controlled studies. This information is supported by an extensive list of peer reviewed publications.

The role of the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) is to provide enhanced monitoring and research activities that provide relevant information to address the science priorities of the Lake Partnerships (established under the Lakewide Management Annex of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement) across the Laurentian Great Lakes. The Lake Michigan Partnership, a collaborative team of natural resource managers led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with participation from federal, state, tribal, and local governments or agencies, uses the information collected through CSMI to help develop long term ecosystem-based management strategies for protecting and restoring Lake Michigan’s water quality. On a practical level, CSMI is an intensive effort to collect information on the health of each lake, rotating to one Great Lake each year. In 2015, it was Lake Michigan’s turn. This is an executive summary of the 2015 research results and the associated white paper containing more specific information.

The role of the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) is to direct enhanced monitoring and research activities across each of the Laurentian Great Lakes to provide relevant information to address the science priorities of each Lake Partnership (established under the Lakewide Management Annex of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement). CSMI is an intensive effort to collect information on the health of one Great Lake each year, cycling through the lakes on a five-year period. In 2020/2021, it was Lake Michigan’s turn (over a two-year period due to COVID). This is an executive summary of the 2020/2021 research results and the associated white paper containing more specific information.

On October 16 and 17, 2018, nearly 60 scientists and managers met at a workshop in Milwaukee, WI to discuss research needs for Lake Michigan. The workshop, sponsored by the International Joint Commission through its Science Advisory Board Research Coordination Committee and organized by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, was part of the Cooperative Science Monitoring Initiative (CSMI). The main purpose of the meeting was to kick off discussions about research priorities to be considered during the 2020 CSMI intensive field year on Lake Michigan. This document summarizes the meeting proceedings.

This flyer lists a number of state and federal resources available for charter operators relating to COVID-19.