DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District outlines NRIs, urban standards and farmer support to county committee

The DuPage County Environmental Committee heard a comprehensive presentation March 3 from Cat of the DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District describing how the district conducts natural resource inventories and supports both urban and agricultural conservation work.

Cat told the committee the district traces its origin to Dust Bowl–era federal programs and functions today as a locally organized unit under state law. She said the state act requires SWCDs to exist but does not provide regular funding for their operations, and that the district is governed by elected local directors. “We are locally organized and operated units of government,” Cat said, explaining the district’s role as primarily technical and educational rather than regulatory.

The presentation focused on natural resource inventories (NRIs), which Cat said are site-specific reports—typically 40–60 pages—documenting vegetation, soils, waterways and archaeological resources to compare current conditions with proposed land uses. Cat illustrated the process using a recent Washington Street bridge restoration in Neighborville where the team tracked site conditions across multiple visits and advised on best-management practices.

Cat highlighted the Illinois Urban Manual, produced with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), as a routine reference the district maintains under an IEPA grant. She said the manual sets “rules of the road” for urban construction sites and that the district provides continuing-education seminars (the most recent drew about 136 attendees) and a quarterly e-newsletter.

On agricultural outreach, Cat described technical assistance for producers—helping implement practices such as cover crops, no-till and other conservation measures—and connecting them to cost-share funding to offset transition costs. She noted the district monitors federal and state policy trends, including a pending congressional bill she described as proposing restrictions on siting large solar fields on highly fertile farmland; Cat said the district is monitoring that bill’s progress.

Cat also reviewed community-facing programs: a regional high-school conservation competition (this year’s ‘wild card’ is nonpoint-source pollution), scholarship opportunities with a February 15 application deadline (scholarship sponsors listed on the district website), well-water testing events and sales of native plants and fish for pond management. She encouraged town staff, schools and residents to use the district’s resources and subscribe to its e-newsletter.

The presentation closed with a staffing overview—Cat said the district currently operates with four full-time staff plus a part-time soil scientist—and a reminder that the district is not a regulatory body but can refer violations to the IEPA or Army Corps when warranted. Chair Sabah Heather thanked Cat for the overview; members agreed follow-up on specific local projects could be scheduled if requested.

The district’s materials and seminar recordings are available on its website; members asked staff to share the presentation slides and contact details referenced during the meeting.