Water quality has been an issue of concern since the settlement of man and continues to be of great concern today in many locations around the world. In the United States, to address the issues of water pollution, the U.S. Congress passed the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1972. This study examines the implementation and prioritization of impaired water bodies listed on the Illinois CWA section 303(d) list between 1992 and 2004. This study used the Delphi survey method to obtain opinions from water quality/management experts that reside in the state of Illinois. The goal of this study was to determine if a consensus could be reached amongst water quality experts on the severity of individual water pollutants for a given designated use of a water body by assigning weights, determining if any prioritization trends exist within the current Illinois 303(d) process, as well as identifying any shortcomings of the process and suggesting possible modes of improvement.

The purpose of this report is to fulfill the requirements set forth in Section 303(d) of the Federal Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Water Quality Planning and Management regulation at 40 CFR Part 130 for the year 2002 [and to] inform the public about the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program process. This report is submitted to the USEPA for review and approval of Illinois' list of water quality limited waters. It provides the state's supporting documentation required by 40 CFR Part 130.7 and rationale in fulfilling Section 303(d) requirements.