The City of Springfield, Illinois has developed a supplemental water supply project to supplement the city’s (and their regional water customers) current water supply during extreme periods of drought. Numerous supplemental water supply alternatives have been evaluated in a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) being prepared for the City of Springfield by a 3rd party contractor under the direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The project is known as the Springfield Supplemental Water Supply Project.
The City of Springfield requested that aquatic outdoor recreation, specifically for fishing, fishing tournaments, waterfowl bird watching, boating, kayaking, canoeing and water skiing, be included in the project’s purpose and need for screening of alternatives. The demand analysis also included swimming and waterfowl hunting. Although waterfowl hunting is not dependent on a flat water reservoir, about 2% of survey participants reported they hunt waterfowl at lakes. Similarly, swimming is not dependent on a flat water reservoir, yet 29% stated they swim in lakes/rivers.
While we know that Covid-19 has caused a surge in outdoor recreation activity (especially walking and bicycling), it is unclear how these two major events will affect future demand for aquatic-based recreation.