The changing Illinois environment : critical trends : technical report of the Critical Trends Assessment Project

260 Pages·1994·11 MB·English

by  Illinois. Dept. of Energy and Natural Resources

363.7009773
The
C362
V.5
cop. 4 Changing
Illinois
Environhtent:
Trends
Critical
-•-»-
Technical Report of the
Critical Trends
Assessment Project
Volume Waste Generation
5;
and Management
Illinois Departmentof
EnergyandNaturalReaourcaa June 1994 ILENR/RE-EA-94/05(5}
/
ILENR/RE-EA-94/05(5)
The Changing Environment:
Illinois
Trends
Critical
Technical Report of the Critical Trends Assessment Project
Volume 5: Waste Generation and Management
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June 1994
Jim Edgar, Governor
State ofIllinois
John S. Moore, Director
Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources
325 WestAdams Su-eet, Room 300
Springfield, llUnois 62704-1892
Printed by Authority ofthe State of Dlinois
Printed on Recycled and Recyclable Pa[)er
Illinois Etepartment ofEnergy and Natural Resources
325 WestAdams Street, Room 300
Springfield, UUnois 62704-1892
Citation: Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources, 1994. The Changing Illinois Environ-
ment: Critical Trends. Sxunmary Report and Volumes 1 - 7 Technical Report. Illinois Department of
Energy and Natural Resources, Springfield, IL, ILENR/RE-EA-94A)5.
Volume 1: AirResources
Volume 2: WaterResources
Volimie 3: EcologicalResources
Volume4: EarthResources
Volume5: Waste Generation and Management
Volume 6: Sources ofEnvironmental Stress
Volume?: Bibliography
Volume 5
Waste Generation and Management
Principal Investigator
John C. Marlin
Project Manager
Lisa A. Damon
CONTRIBUTORS
Hazardous Waste Research and Information Center
Lisa A. Damon
Gary D. Miller
Alisa Ocker
David J. Schaeffer
Pamela Tazik
David L. Thomas
Illinois State Geological Survey
Lisa R. Smith
Office of Research and Planning
Dana Curdss
Will Hinsman
Project Assistants
Baibara T. Higgins
Kathy Nojd
Angela P. Simon

ABOUTCTAP
ABOUT THE CRiTICAL The next step in the CTAP process is to develop,
TRENDS ASSESSMENT test, and implement tools to systematically monitor
changes in ecological and environmental conditions
PROJECT
in Illinois. Given real-world constraints on budgets
and human resources, this has to be done in a practi-
cal and cost-effective way, using new technologies
for monitoring, data collection and assessments.
The Critical Trends Assessment Project (CTAP) is an As part ofthis effort, CTAPparticipants have begun
on-going process established to describe changes in to use advanced geographic information systems
ecological conditions in Illinois. The initial two-year (GIS) and satellite imagery to map changes in Illi-
efifort involved staffofthe Illinois Department of nois' ecosystems and to develop ecological indicators
Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), including the (similar in concept to economic indicators) that can
Office ofResearch and Planning, the Geological, be evaluated for their use in long-term monitoring.
Natural History and Water surveys and the Hazardous The intent—is to recruit, train, and organize networks
Waste Research and Information Center. They ofpeople h—igh school science classes, citizen vol-
worked with the assistance ofthe Illinois Environ- unteer groups to supplement scientific data collec-
mental Protection Agency and the Illinois depart- tion to help gauge trends in ecological conditions.
ments ofAgriculture, Conservation, Mines and
Minerals, Nuclear Safety, Public Health, and Trans- Many ofthe databases developed during the project
portation (Division of Water Resources), among are available to the public as either spreadsheet files
other agencies. OTARC-INFO files. Individuals who wish to obtain
additional information or participate in CTAP
CTAP investigators adopted a "source-receptor" programs may call 217/r785-0138, TDD customers
model as the basis for analysis. Sources were defined may call 217/785-0211, or persons may write:
as human activities that affect environmental and
ecological conditions and were split into categories Critical Trends Assessment Project
as follows: manufacturing, transportation, urban Office ofResearch and Planning
dynamics, resource extraction, electricity generation Illinois Department ofEnergy and Natural Resources
and transmission, and waste systems. Receptors in- 325 WestAdams Street, Room 300
cluded forests, agro-ecosystems, streams and rivers, Springfield, IL 62704-1892
lakes, prairies and savannas, wetlands, and human
populations. Copies ofthe summary reportand volumes 1-7 of
the technical report are available from the ENR
TDD
The results are contained in a seven-volume technical Clearinghouse at 1/800/252-8955. customers
report. The Changing Illinois Environment: Critical call 1/800/526-0844, the Illinois Relay Center.
Trends, consisting of Volume 1: AirResources, CTAP information and forum discussions can also
Volume 2: WaterResources, Volume 3: Ecological be accessed electronically at 1/800/528-5486.
Resources, Volume 4: EarthResources, Volume 5:
Waste Generation andManagement, Volume 6:
Sources ofEnvironmental Stress, and Volume 7:
Bibliography. Volumes 1-6 are synopsized in a
summary report
FOREWORD
FOREWORD
As a first step, CTAPinvestigators inventoried
existing data to determine what is known and not
known about historical ecological conditions and to
identify meaningful trends. Three geno'al conclu-
sions can be drawn from CTAP's initial investiga-
"Ifwe could firstknow where we are tions:
and whitherwe are tending,
we could betterjudge what wedo Conclusion No. 1: The emission and discharge of
regulated pollutants over the past20 years has
and how to do it..." decUned, in some cases dramatically. Among the
Abraham Lincoln
findings:
Between 1973 and 1989, air emissions of
Imagine thatwe knew nothing about the size, particulate matter fiom manufacturing have
direction, and composition ofoureconomy. We dropped 87%, those ofsulfur oxides 67%,
would each know a little, i.e., what was happening to nitrogen oxides 69%, hydrocarbons 45%, and
us directly, butnone ofus wouldkn—ow much about carbon monoxide 59%.
thebroader trends in theeconomy the level or rate
ofhousing starts, interestrates, retail sales, trade Emissions fi'om cars and lighttrucks ofboth
deficits, or unemploymentrates. We might react to carbon monoxide and volatile organic com-
things thathappened to u—s directly, orreact toevents pounds were down47% in 1991 bom 1973
that we had heard about events thatmay or may levels.
not have actually occurred.
• Lead concentrations were down substantially in
Fortunately, the information base on economic trends all areas of the state over the 1978-1990 period,
is extensive, is updated regularly, and is easily reflecting the phase-out of leaded gasoline.
accessible. Designed to describe the condition ofthe
economy and how it is changing, the information From 1987 to 1992, major municipal sewage
base provides the foundation for both economic treatment facilities showed reductions in k>ading
policy and personal finance decisions. Typical of biological/carbonaceous oxygen demand,
economic decisions are all framed by empirical ammonia, total suspended solids and chlorine
knowledge about what is happening in the general residuals that ranged from 25 to 72%.
economy. Without it, we would haveno rational way
oftiming these decisions and no way ofjudging • Emissions into streams ofchromium, copper,
whether they were correctrelative to trends in the cyanide, and phenols from major non-municipal
general economy. manufacturing and utility facilities (most of them
industrial) also showed declines over the years
Unfortunately, this is not the case with regard to 1987-1992 ranging from 37% to 53%.
changes in environmental conditions. Environmental
data has generally been collected for regulatory and Conclusion No. 2: Existing data suggest that the
management purposes, using information systems condition ofnatural ecosystems in Illinois is rapidly
designed to answer very site-, pollutant-, or species- declining as a result of fragmentation and continual
specific questions. This effort has been essential in stress. Among the findings:
achieving the many pollution control successes of the
last generation. However, it does notprovide a • Forest fragmentation has reduced the ability of
systematic, empirical database similar to the eco- Illinois forests to maintain biological integrity.
nomic database which describes trends in the general In one Illinois forest, neotropical migrant birds
environment and provides a foundation for both thatonce accounted for more than 75% of
environmental policy and, perhaps more importantly, breeding birds now make up less than halfthose
personal decisions. The Critical Trends Assessment numbers.
Project (CTAP) is designed to begin developing such
a database.
11
FOREWORD
• In the past century, one in seven native fish • Much more research is needed on the ecology of
species in Lake Michigan was either extirpated large rivers, in particular the effects ofhuman
or suffered severe population crashes and exotics manipulation.
have assumed the roles ofmajor predators and
major forage species. • The length ofIllinois' longest stream gaging
records is generally not sufficientto identify
• Fouroffiveofthe state's prairie remnants are fluctuations that recur less firequently than every
smaller than te—n acres and one in three is smaller few decades.
than one acre too small to function as self-
sustaining ecosystems. • The Sediment BenchmarkNetwork was set up in
1981 with some 120 instream sediment data
• Long-term records ofmussel populations for four stations; by 1990 the network had shrunk to40
rivers in east central Illinois reveal large reduc- stations, the majority ofwhich have data for only
tions in numb^s ofall species over the last40 one to three years.
years, s^Tparently as suitable habitat was lost to
siltation and other changes. CTAP is designed to begin to help address the
complex problems Illinois faces in making environ-
• Exotic species invasions ofIllinois forests are mental policy on a sound ecosystem basis. The next
increasing in severity and scope. edition ofthe Critical Trends Assessment Project, two
years hence, should have more answers about trends
Conclusion No. 3: Data designed to monitorcompli- in Illinois' environmental and ecological conditions
ance with environmental regulations or the status of to help determine an effective and economical
individual species are not sufficient to assess ecosys- environmental policy for Illinois.
tem health statewide. Among the findings:
• Researchers must describe the spatial contours of
air pollutant concentrations statewide using a
limited number of sampling sites concentrated in
Chicago and the East St. Louis metro area.
iU