Water is the essence of life! Clean water is critical for human health, wildlife habitats, recreation, and more. Watersheds, areas of land where water drains and converges at a point and joins another body of water have a high pollution risk.

The adoption of the Clean Water Act, which regulates pollutants that are discharged into bodies of water, helped make significant progress in watershed protection. However, even with the regulations in the Clean Water Act, many threats to our local water supplies remain.

Four watersheds run within the border of McLean County, Illinois:

• Mackinaw Watershed
• Salt Watershed
• Upper Sangamon Watershed
• Vermillion Watershed

These watersheds provide drinking water, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, and more for our community.

There are many ways to get involved in helping keep our water clean and safe for everyone, and this website provides some ideas to show you how. In addition, this website also serves as a library of resources on watershed protection efforts in McLean County, including watershed management plans, scientific studies, best management practices, successful projects, and contact information for local agencies and organizations involved in watershed activities.

Get started by learning more about watersheds and their threats.