Evaluating theWater Resource Interactions Sustaining a DolomitePrairie Habitat At Lockport Prairie, Illinois

摘要

Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve (LPNP) is located adjacent to the Des PlainesRiver in Will County, Illinois. LPNP provides habitat for several threatened andendangered species including the Federally-endangered Leafy Prairie Clover and Hine'sEmerald Dragonfly. Dolomite prairie is one of the rarest community types in Illinois.LPNP currently contains the highest concentration of high quality dolomite prairie inIllinois.The ecosystem is supplied by ground water by a dolomite aquifer known as theNiagara Dolomite, which crops out along a 40-foot high bluff. Ground water entersLPNP through seeps along the bluff and through diffuse discharge. A limited offsitewatershed immediately to the west adds surface water.In order to understand the ground water and surface water dynamics, ongoinginvestigations were initiated in 2001. It was considered essential to understand theground water and surface water mechanisms before restoration plans could be evaluated.