Dam Safety Initiative makes Ill. waterways safer

Dam Safety Initiative will make Illinois Waterways Safer

Boaters, fishermen, and others who enjoy Illinois� beautiful rivers and streams will be safer thanks to the Illinois General Assembly�s passage of HB33, the Illinois Dam Safety Initiative.

I especially congratulate House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) for his hard work and perseverance in garnering unanimous support for this important initiative in both the House and Senate.

Under this new bill, which now awaits the Governor�s signature, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will mark hazardous dams with warning signs and buoys, and will create safety zones to keep swimmers, boaters and waders out of the dangerous waters immediately above and below the dams.

In response to the ten tragic deaths caused by unsafe dams on Illinois rivers over the past year, my office launched a public education program about the dangers of low-head, run-of-the-river dams � better known as �drowning machines� because they create unexpectedly powerful, boiling currents that can overcome even the strongest swimmers. That effort led directly to our proposal of the Illinois Dam Safety Initiative.

Minority Leader Cross� efforts to pass the Illinois Dam Safety Initiative were strongly supported by many river advocates throughout Illinois who have worked hard to educate the public about these hazardous dams.

I especially commend State Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi (D-Crest Hill) and the Prairie Rivers Network, the Friends of the Fox River, and the Illinois Paddling Council for their support and advocacy.

The efforts of Shari Walsh, of Bensenville, and her 11-year-old daughter, Alyssa Fliege, deserve special mention. Shari and Alyssa have devoted themselves to the cause of dam safety since Alyssa�s father, Craig Fliege, drowned while kayaking near a dam on the Fox River in Yorkville last summer. I am deeply touched by their willingness to transform their family�s tragedy into a positive force for the public good.

Thanks to Minority Leader Cross and the many people throughout our state who have spent countless hours advocating for the Illinois Dam Safety Initiative, many lives are going to be saved on rivers and streams throughout the Land of Lincoln.

For more information on the Illinois Dam Safety Initiative and water safety, please visit our website at www.damsafe.org.
Sincerely,
Pat Quinn
Lt. Governor