The City of Mattoon, Illinois, has joined forces with various local organizations to form the Lake Mattoon and Lake Paradise Watershed Committee. This initiative comes in the wake of last summer’s toxic algal blooms that deprived residents of drinking water for several days.
According to a statement on the city’s official Facebook page, Mattoon is collaborating with the Coles County Soil and Water Conservation District to establish this committee. “The aim is to conduct productive meetings where we can collaborate on innovative solutions to enhance the watershed,” the post explained.
Environmental consulting group Spheros Environmental’s Jeff Boeckler has been assigned the task of developing a comprehensive watershed plan. This plan will address critical issues such as algal blooms and low water levels that have been plaguing the lakes.