Peoria Lakes Comprehensive Conservation Plan
History & Geography
The Peoria Lakes are Greater Peoria’s most precious natural resource. The Lakes, which refer to the widened portion of the Illinois River near Peoria, have supported life in the Illinois River Valley for 12,000 years. The natural beauty of the river and its bluffs continue to attract people to Greater Peoria, just as it has for centuries.
Native Americans and early European settlers enjoyed an abundance of fish and wildlife, pristine water, and expansive wetlands at Peoria Lakes. However, as increasing urban development and industrialization occurred over time, water quality declined, habitat was lost and degraded, and sedimentation has steadily filled in the Lakes. Today, many areas of the Peoria Lakes are less than 3 feet in depth.
Various projects and studies have been proposed in the past for how to help preserve the Peoria Lakes, with interest from organizations around Illinois. Yet, there is no regional consensus on the course of action to take in sustaining this valuable natural resource.
The aim of the planning process is to reach a regional consensus on future Peoria Lakes conservation alternatives; concurrently, the collaborative can also gather regional support to take needed action on conservation efforts. At the end of the day, the Greater Peoria area will be well-positioned to move forward to conserve its iconic Lakes.
Peoria Lakes Basin Alliance
The Peoria Lakes Basin Alliance (PLBA) was established in 2001 to coordinate efforts to restore and preserve the Peoria Lakes. Today, the Alliance consists of Heartland Water Resources Council, The Nature Conservancy, and Tri-County Regional Planning Commission. The Alliance teamed up with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assist in the development of a Peoria Lakes Comprehensive Conservation Plan (PLCCP). The PLCCP was completed in Fall 2018 and is now available.
The Peoria Lakes Comprehensive Conservation Plan was approved by the Peoria Lakes Basin Alliance on 10 October 2018 and TCRPC Full Commission on 06 December 2018.