Buffalo Creek is 'Not Very Healthy,' But Volunteers Aim to Make a Difference

Efforts to improve the quality of local waterways continue by Buffalo Creek Clean Water Partnership volunteers. 

Buffalo Grove resident Jeff Weiss started the organization out of a desire to protect and restore Buffalo Creek and its tributaries, which run through 11 northwest suburban towns.

The organization has secured a $10,000 grant from the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission to monitor water quality and track down the sources of Buffalo Creek’s pollutants and other impairments, Weiss said during a presentation last week to the Buffalo Grove Village Board.

A study of the waterways done alongside the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency revealed phosphorous, fecal coliform and other contaminants, as well as erosion and sedimentation, Weiss said.

“The waters of Buffalo Creek are, unfortunately, not very healthy,” he said. 

The Buffalo Creek Clean Water Partnership is pursuing a second grant that would allow it to develop a two-year watershed plan, Weiss said. Quarterly meetings are planned for this year and next, and interested residents are invited to join the organization. 

Volunteers are preparing to collect samples for water quality monitoring, he said, and quality assessments will be done on the waterways by studying insects, worms and mussels from the Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve.

“They have a story to tell about the quality of the water and the issues that we see, and studying them and their trends over time will tell us very valuable information about the quality of the water and the progress that we’re making,” Weiss said.

For more information about the Buffalo Creek Clean Water Partnership’s events and activities, visit its website.