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Illinois Public Bodies of Water are defined in 17 Illinois Administrative Code, Chapter I, Section 3704 as all lakes, rivers, streams and waterways which are or were navigable and are open or dedicated to public use including all bayous, sloughs, backwaters and submerged lands connected by water to the main channel or body of water during normal flows or stages. The entire length and surface area of these waters in Illinois are open to the public except to a head of navigation for the following rivers: Sinsiniwa, Galena, Apple, Plum, Des Plaines, Iroquois, Vermilion(Illinois River Basin), Spoon, Sangamon, Sangamon River South Fork, Kaskaskia, Big Muddy, Vermilion (Wabash River Basin), Little Wabash, Saline, and Saline North Fork. A head of navigation limiting public access is also present for the following creeks; Stillman, Henderson, Bay, Macoupin, and Otter. The limiting head of navigation has been mapped for these rivers and creeks using the Public Land Survey System descriptions as listed in 17 IAC Section 3704 Appendix A. The extent of normal flows or stages open to public use are not represented in this dataset or this interactive web map. Additional site-specific data is required to determine the extent of normal flows or stages. Consequently all bayous, sloughs, backwaters and submerged lands connected by water to the main channel or body of water during normal flows or stages have not been mapped within this graphical dataset. The Illinois Public Water extent at the State boundaries are based on USGS 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Maps except for the boundary between Illinois and Kentucky. The Illinois/Kentucky border in this dataset is based on boundary coordinates from Illinois vs. Kentucky No. 106, Original, 500 U.S. 380 (1991) US Supreme Court Case. The final decree was entered on December 2, 1994. |