Aerial photograph from August 1939 showing a sement of the Kankakee River flowing through Kankakee River State Park.
From 1937-1947 Illinois Historical Aerial Photography, in the Illinois Geospatial Clearinghouse.
The Kankakee River originates in South Bend, Indiana, empties into the Illinois River near Wilmington, Illinois 150 miles to the west and has a total a drainage area of 5,165- square miles (Little & Jones, 2013). The historic pre-channelization length was 250 miles (Little & Jones, 2013).
Kankakee River documents, in chronological order
Mussel Fauna of the Kankakee Basin
byPublication Date: 1912Bureau of Fisheries Document no. 758
Reports on a survey of mussel fauna conducted in the basin in 1909. Shows mussels absent from dredged areas of the basin.Report on Illinois-Indiana Interstate Drainage Yellowhead-Singleton Ditch System, June 1, 1954
Publication Date: 1954Prepared by authority of House Joint Resolution no. 50, 68th General Assembly. Describes drainage canal built in the late 1800s which diverted flow into the Kankakee River in Illinois. Findings did not support Illinois claims of harm from the diversion.- Water quality management basin plan, phase I : Kankakee River Basin.
byPublication Date: 1976 - Environmental observations of a Riparian Ecosystem During Flood Season
byPublication Date: 1979Dynamics of floodplain wetlands along the Kankakee River in Northeastern Illinois were studied during the Spring flood season of 1979. The study involved hydrology,water chemistry and sedimentation measurements. Flooding
was determined to occur at a river discharge of 4000 to 4500 cfs and the floodplain forest was determined to be under water 66 percent of the years for at least 10 days since 1917. - River Mileages and Drainage Areas for Illinois Streams
byPublication Date: 1979This U.S. Geological Survey report provides drainage areas for Illinois rivers and their tributaries. Kankakee River and its tributaries starts on p. 255. - The Momence wetlands of the Kankakee River in Illinois : an assessment of their value : a descriptive and economic approach to the appraisal of natural ecosystem function
byPublication Date: 1979Report on a 6-mile section of wetlands along the river that were in pre-settlement condition at the time of the report, and argues for their preservation. - Hydraulics of Flow and Sediment Transport in the Kankakee River in Illinois
byPublication Date: 1980ISWS Report of Investigation no. 98
The progression of river channelization in Indiana and the behavior of the river in the straightened portion in Indiana and the non-straightened portion in Illinois were reviewed. Historical data regarding peak, average, and low flows for six gaging stations were analyzed to identify trends. - Sediment Transport and Hydraulics of Flow in the Kankakee River--Illinois, Phase II
byPublication Date: 1981ISWS Contract Report no. 282
Discusses and reviews the data collected during the intial study period that was not considered in the original report as well as data collected after the conclusion of the original study. Geology of the Kankakee River System in Kankakee County, Illinois
byPublication Date: 1981ISGS Environmental Geology Notes no. 92- The Kankakee River Yesterday and Today
byPublication Date: 1981ISWS Miscellaneous Publication no. 60
Discusses attempts to address sedimentation in the Kankakee River, and work of the State Scientific Surveys to address the recommendations of the 1977 Illinois Kankakee River Basin Task Force appointed by the Governor. - The Effect of Sedimentation on the Aquatic Life of the Kankakee River byPublication Date: 1981Reports on the impact of sedimentation from channelization on fishes, mussels, and benthic macroinvertebrates.
- Kankakee River aquatic monitoring program for the Braidwood Station, August 1981
byPublication Date: 1981A technical report prepared for the Commonwealth Edison Company by the Illinois Natural History Survey; reports on freshwater organism in the Braidwood Nuclear Generation Station Monitoring Area. Monitoring reports on aquatic life at Braidwood Nuclear Generation Station
byPublication Date: 1982-1989A series of reports from the Illinois Natural History Survey on diversity, abundance, and condition of aquatic life in the monitoring area around Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station and cooling pondsThe Kankakee River: A Case Study and Management Recommendations for a Stream Diverse in Habitat, Fauna, and Human Values by
Publication Date: 1983From Proceedings of a Symposium on Restoration Planning for the Rivers of the Mississippi River EcosystemRecreational Fishing in the Kankakee River, Illinois
byPublication Date: 1984INHS Biological Note no. 120- Biologically Significant Illinois Streams : An Evaluation of the Streams of Illinois Based on Aquatic Biodiversity
byPublication Date: 1992The Kankakee River is covered on pp. 120-139. Critical Trends Assessment Project Phase IIInventory of Resource Rich Areas in IllinoisAn Evaluation of Ecological Resources by
Publication Date: 1996The Kankakee River is described on pp. 68-72.
Kankakee River Area AssessmentPublication Date: 1998
Prairie Parklands Area AssessmentPublication Date: 1999The Prairie Parklands Area includess the lower reaches of the Kankakee RiverPrairie Parklands : An Inventory of the Region's Resources
Publication Date: 2001
Kankakee River Basin: Evaluation of Sediment Management Strategies
byPublication Date: 2013Discusses sedimentation associated with channelization of tributaries and management options