Everything about The Des Plaines River totally explained
The
Des Plaines River flows southward for 150 miles (241 km) through southern
Wisconsin and northern
Illinois in the
U.S. Midwest, eventually meeting the
Kankakee River west of
Channahon to form the
Illinois River, a
tributary of the
Mississippi River.
Des Plaines is
French for "of the plains" or "of the prairie."
The river provided a transportation route and
portage for native Americans, who revealed to early explorers how to traverse waterways of the Des Plaines watershed to travel from
Lake Michigan to the
Mississippi Valley. The river's name derives from the period of
French exploration and
colonization in the
New World.
Course and character
The slow-moving Des Plaines River rises in southern
Wisconsin just west of
Kenosha and flows southward primarily through marshland as it crosses into
Illinois. The river turns to the west and flows through woodland forest preserve districts in
Lake County and
Cook County (and through the city of
Des Plaines), northwest of
Chicago. There are numerous small fixed
dams on the river starting in central Lake County and continuing through Cook County. Eventually, the river turns to the southwest and joins with the
Sanitary and Ship Canal in
Lockport before flowing through the city of
Joliet. In the heavily industrialized area around Joliet,
dams control the river. Just west of Joliet, the Des Plaines converges with the
Kankakee River to form the
Illinois River.
Parts of the Des Plaines River preserved in a mostly natural state are used for
conservation and
recreation, while substantially altered sections serve as an important
industrial waterway and
drainage channel.
The original course of the riverbed was moved to the west at the town of Lockport during the construction of the Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1905.
According to Chicago Wilderness Magazine, as the Des Plaines River runs 95 miles through four Illinois counties, it "changes from prairie creek to a suburban stream, to a large urbanized river, to a major industrial waterway."
Sections of the river in Lake County and Cook County Forest Preserve districts in Illinois create "a nearly continuous greenway though all of Lake County and the northern section of Cook County." While canoe launching ramps are available, "The lack of ramps for trailered-boats makes this long river a quiet, family-friendly river." report stated that flooding on the Des Plaines River has caused significant damage and economic impacts. The greatest recorded flood, in September
1986 caused an estimated $35 million in damage to 10,000 dwellings and 263 business and industrial sites. A Phase I flood control Project was authorized under the Water Resources Development Act of 1999. Project features include levee, dam, and reservoir expansion at a total cost of $50.5 million (in 2002).
On August 24, 2007, the river flooded by over 9 feet.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Des Plaines River'.
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