Receiving Stream

Cedar Creek begins as a farm drainage ditch on the northeast side of Galesburg.  It meanders it’s way through town where it becomes a concrete channel for stormwater collection.  The creek is the southernmost edge of the treatment plant, where treated wastewater is discharged.  From here, Cedar creek converges with Henderson Creek and ultimately flows to the Mississippi River. 

The Galesburg Sanitary District has more stringent discharge limits in comparison to other municipal wastewater treatment facilities because it discharges to such a small body of water.

 Cedar Creek has been identified as an impaired stream by the IEPA. In 1998, the IEPA identified impaired watersheds throughout the state in order to fulfill the requirements of the Federal Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Water Quality Planning and Management regulation at 40 CFR Part 130. Cedar Creek was also included in the list of impaired streams in the Illinois Water Quality Report by the IEPA Bureau of Water in 2004.