Mr. Dennis R. Rewerts
Federal Aviation Administration
Chicago Airports District Office
2300 East Devon Avenue
Des Plaines, IL 60018

Dear Mr. Rewerts,

The Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District Board has some issues that it believes should be address in the Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed airport near Peotone, Illinois. The overriding concern of the Board is the potential environmental damage that may occur downstream of the footprint of the airport and requests that these type of issues be addressed. Although the airport is not located in Kankakee County, approximately 85% of the drainage from the airport will come through streams and creeks of Kankakee County, and the Board believes that this should be considered during the EIS process.

The Board’s first concern deals with Drainage Districts:
• During the building process, will the integrity of drainage systems be maintained all the way to the outlets in the Kankakee River?
• When the airport is in operation, will the airport maintain current drainage patterns?
• Will Drainage Districts have access to airport property to ensure proper drainage is maintained?
• Will the study include the impact of more frequent peak flows through downstream and offsite outlet channels, specifically streambank erosion, channel stability and effects upon riparian biota and fauna?

The second concern is about runoff, water quality and floodplains:
• How will the treatment of runoff be done to ensure that industrial contaminants are removed before they leave the site?
• Who will be responsible for damage from any contaminates such as aviation fuel, and deicing chemicals leaving the airport site and what processes will there be to restore any affected natural resources, specifically restoring prime farmland to prime condition?
• Will the integrity of all channels and outlets for the stormwater be addressed all the way to outlets into the Kankakee River?
• What if any impact to the size and location of floodplains will occur with more often peak flow discharge from the airport site?

The third concern is water supply:
• What is the potable water source for the airport and the proposed industrial areas surrounding it?
• What method will be used to manage treated water leaving the site to ensure that streams and creeks are not impacted negatively?
• If the water is withdrawn from the local aquifer, how will local homeowners and other users of the aquifer be protected from over depletion of the aquifer?
• If the water is withdrawn from the Kankakee River, what if any impact on the minimum flows will be addressed, is there a plan to return Kankakee River water to the river to ensure minimum flows are ensured, will the withdrawal affect minimum flows in small tributaries?

The fourth concern is with natural resources:
• If wetlands are destroyed during the building process of the airport and the surrounding industrial sites, where will they be mitigated? The District believes that the mitigation should be as close to possible to the destruction.
• Is there a plan to mitigate the reforested land within the proposed site that will be destroyed developing the airport?

Thank you for your time and consideration on these issues

Sincerely,

Jeffrey M. O’Connor
District Board Chairman