Drainage tile lines are visible in this MCCD photo used by Ed Collins

A northern Illinois group called Openlands held its first water supply roundtable of 2011.

Called “Letting It All Soak In: Nature’s Role in Protecting Water Resources,” it featured speakers on various topics, a summary of which can be found here.

According to the report, “100 attendees…learned why conserving and restoring natural areas, such as wetlands and prairie, can help naturally treat and store rainwater and maintain ample freshwater supplies in our region.”

The beauty of Nippersink Creek, another photo used in the Openlands water roundtable presentation.

One of the speakers was the McHenry County Conservation District’s Ed Collins. Here’s how his talk was summarized:

McHenry County Conservation District Natural Resource Manager Ed Collins, who discussed the positive results of re-meandering Nippersink Creek, including reduced flooding in nearby communities, enhanced local ecosystems, and recharged groundwater, not to mention “awakening it from a 50-year coma.” He continued, “It’s just one of the success stories that make metropolitan Chicago a national leader in restoration techniques and philosophy. (View Ed Collins’s presentation here (a wonderful slide show) and see what he had to say after the roundtable below.)”