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Illinois / Waters /

Richland Creek

River in Illinois, past Belleville, Prairie Du Long, Shiloh Valley, Smithton and St. Clair

Current status

Discharge possible: heavy rain, no report received

Radar shows that recent rain at a combined sewer system's outlets has reached the amount set for that system, and its operator has not reported a discharge. It reads "discharge likely" where the amount is the one at which that system has discharged before, or a rain trigger its state publishes, and "discharge possible" where only this site's default of 0.1 inch applies. This is an estimate, not a report. This status since . Why this status, and its source

This badge describes the water outline. Check the downstream stretches on the map and below for discharge statuses.

Map sources: water outlines and launches from OpenBoatLaunch and OpenStreetMap contributors (Open Database License); wastewater outlets from EPA and state records; downstream estimates by DirtyWaterWatch using U.S. Geological Survey maps and flow data. Base map: OpenFreeMap and OpenMapTiles.

Solid dots mark combined sewer outfalls. Ringed dots mark treatment plant outfalls. Grey dots are closed outfalls. A yellow ring with a dashed edge means discharge likely or possible: heavy rain, no report received. Dashed river stretches are estimates.

Check City of Belleville's notices · Bookmark this water page and check it before each trip · Report a missing notice or error

About this status

Discharge possible: heavy rain, no report received: heavy rain at a sewer operator's outlets reached this site's default amount, and no report received; shown for 48 hours after the rain (site rule). 18.7 in of rain fell in the 24 hours to Nov 6, 2026, 2:00 AM CST at City of Belleville's outfalls (NOAA radar estimate).

Source: NOAA National Weather Service, MRMS radar-only rainfall estimate, valid Nov 6, 2026, 2:00 AM CST, retrieved 2026-11-06 08:57 UTC; threshold: site default; rule: How it works, discharge likely or possible. · Updated

Estimated downstream stretches on Richland Creek

none from a report; 2 routes below outlets with a status

No stretch below a reported discharge has a current status here as of Nov 6, 2026, 3:03 AM CST. The routes below wastewater outlets carry the status shown on each.

Estimated routes below wastewater outlets

2 routes below outlets
  • Caution Permit IL0021873, outlet 035 · 40 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops at the 40-kilometre limit
  • Caution Permit IL0021873, outlet 038 · 40 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops at the 40-kilometre limit

Source: DirtyWaterWatch estimates using U.S. Geological Survey river maps and flow measurements. The estimate stops at tidal water, the first lake or the distance limit.

The last 90 days

Last 90 days, hour by hour. Red: discharge or advisory reported. Amber: caution. Hatched amber: end not confirmed. Plum: algal bloom advisory. Red or amber with a light line inside: beach advisory or caution. Dotted: monthly report (days with discharge, dates not given). Grey: no current status on the water outline. Purple hatching: a status resting on a source that could not be checked on schedule.
  • Discharge likely or possible: heavy rain, no report received: to the latest update
    Radar estimate, no report received: heavy rain at the outlets of City of Belleville
  • Caution: to
    1 report: City of Belleville 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Discharge or advisory reported: to
    1 report: City of Belleville 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Caution: to
    1 report: City of Belleville 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Discharge or advisory reported: to
    1 report: City of Belleville 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

Source: DirtyWaterWatch calculations using the reports named above and the published status rules. Updated 2026-11-06 09:03 UTC.

Reported discharges over time

  • Discharges affecting the Richland Creek in Illinois, last 12 months1010 affecting this stretch: 10 reported on the Richland Creek; none arriving from upstreamDecember 2025 to November 2026Verified reports where available, else notices; revisions and duplicates counted once. Arriving discharges are estimated from modeled downstream reaches.
  • Days with a discharge affecting the Richland Creek in Illinois, last 12 months39Reported on the Richland Creek in Illinois: 39 · Arriving from outfalls upstream, estimated: 0 (counted apart; together they need not equal the total)December 2025 to November 2026A day counts once however many discharges were under way on it.
  • Hours with a discharge or advisory status on the Richland Creek in Illinois, last 12 months738Reported on the Richland Creek in Illinois: 738 · Arriving from outfalls upstream, estimated: 0December 2025 to November 2026Red hours by the map's rules: each discharge to its reported end plus the state's post-discharge period; overlapping hours count once.
  • 2023 season with a discharge or advisory status on the Richland Creek in Illinois0.0%May to October 2023; incomplete source coverageShare of May 1 to October 31 hours with red status by the map's rules, of the hours a source covered.
  • Records behind the last-90-days strip for the Richland Creek in Illinois3Reported on the Richland Creek in Illinois: 2 · Arriving from outfalls upstream, estimated: 0 · Other records (rain-likely and similar): 1last 90 daysEvery distinct record the strip lists for its red, yellow and unresolved hours, notices and unresolved reports included; counted as the strip counts them.

This record covers the Richland Creek within Illinois; the same river upstream is a separate record.

Combined sewer overflow (CSO): sewage mixed with rainwater spills from a shared sewer system. Sanitary sewer overflow (SSO): sewage spills from a sewer meant to carry sewage separately from rainwater. Treatment bypass: wastewater skips one or more treatment steps. Blended discharge: wastewater that skipped some treatment is mixed with treated wastewater. Outfall: a pipe or outlet where wastewater enters a water body.

Reported discharges per month

29 reported discharges, January 2022 to November 2026.

  • Combined sewer overflow
  • Sanitary sewer overflow
  • Treatment bypass, blended or other
  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's sewer overflow records are limited: they hold only what operators file with the agency.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sewer overflow records. Records cover May 3, 2022 to November 6, 2026.

Show table

Hours with a discharge or advisory status per month

Hours when this water had a discharge or advisory status under DirtyWaterWatch rules.

  • Discharge or advisory reported
  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's sewer overflow records are limited: they hold only what operators file with the agency.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sewer overflow records. Records cover May 3, 2022 to November 6, 2026.

Show table

Days with a reported discharge per month

A day counts when any counted discharge was under way on it, from its start to its reported end in Eastern Time; a report with no end counts its start day.

  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sewer overflow records. Records cover May 3, 2022 to November 6, 2026.

Show table

Reported discharges per year, 2000 to 2026

29 reported discharges, 2000 to 2026.

  • Combined sewer overflow
  • Sanitary sewer overflow
  • Treatment bypass, blended or other
  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's sewer overflow records are limited: they hold only what operators file with the agency.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sewer overflow records. Records cover May 3, 2022 to November 6, 2026.

Show table

Reported volume per year

Gallons (axis: K thousand, M million), summed from the 29 reports that gave a volume as a number.

  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sewer overflow records. Records cover May 3, 2022 to November 6, 2026.

Show table

Hours with a discharge or advisory status per year

Hours with a discharge or advisory status each year under DirtyWaterWatch rules; 2026 to date.

  • Discharge or advisory reported
  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sewer overflow records. Records cover May 3, 2022 to November 6, 2026.

Show table

Share of the May to October season with a discharge or advisory status

Share of the hours from May 1 to October 31 with a discharge or advisory status under DirtyWaterWatch rules.

  • Discharge or advisory reported
  • Season with incomplete source coverage

Seasons with incomplete source coverage: 2023. The share is of the hours a source covered.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sewer overflow records. Records cover May 3, 2022 to November 6, 2026.

Show table

Reported discharges by calendar month, all years

Every counted discharge report, by the calendar month it began.

Months are summed over every year a tracked source covers; the table gives the number of years behind each month.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sewer overflow records. Records cover May 3, 2022 to November 6, 2026.

Show table

Reported discharges by wastewater outlet

Wastewater outlets with the most tracked discharge records: 1 of 1, all years. Counts depend on reporting coverage and do not measure legal compliance or harm.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's sewer overflow records are limited: they hold only what operators file with the agency.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sewer overflow records. Records cover May 3, 2022 to November 6, 2026.

Show table
How these charts are counted

We count each discharge once. Where a source publishes notices and confirmed reports, we use confirmed reports for an operator's month when available; otherwise we use notices. We combine revisions and exclude duplicate state reports copied by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Monthly and yearly totals appear separately. Status hours follow this site's rules. Shaded gaps mean missing coverage, not zero discharges.

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sewer overflow records: records from May 3, 2022 to the latest update (limited records)
  • il-mwrd-lake-michigan-reversals: records from March 4, 1985 to July 3, 2023

Reports linked to Richland Creek

Reports linked to Richland Creek, newest first
WhenReportStatus
to Sep 11, 7:30 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 72.34 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Aug 8, 7:15 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 59.26 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Aug 2, 9:00 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 67.5 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Jul 13, 12:30 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 85.34 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Jun 29, 9:00 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 81.16 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Jun 4, 1:00 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 89.86 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to May 19, 2:44 AM CDTVillage of Swansea · SSO · 40,400 gallons report · notice · mapended
to May 22, 4:57 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 157.11 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Apr 6, 1:30 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 111.48 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Mar 13, 7:45 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 262.18 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Oct 31 ’25, 8:30 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 69.2 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to 11:00 AM CDTCity of Belleville · SSO · 15,000 gallons report · notice · mapended
to Jul 24 ’25, 7:30 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 93.59 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Jul 16 ’25, 1:00 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 90.86 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Jun 2 ’25, 1:45 AM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 86.04 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to May 15 ’25, 8:00 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 747.78 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Apr 17 ’25, 8:30 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 74.23 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to 11:30 PM CDTSt. Clair Township · SSO · 36,000 gallons report · notice · mapended
to Apr 6 ’25, 1:00 AM CDTVillage of Swansea · SSO · 10 gallons report · notice · mapended
to Apr 10 ’25, 8:00 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 217 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Mar 31 ’25, 8:00 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 222.15 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Mar 17 ’25, 8:00 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 28.93 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Mar 13 ’25, 8:45 PM CDTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 67.39 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Feb 24 ’25, 8:00 PM CSTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 32.64 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Feb 12 ’25, 8:00 PM CSTCity of Belleville · 038 · CSO · 80.68 million gallons report · notice · mapended

Sources: EPA ECHO Sewer Overflow and Bypass Event report (reported to regulators), retrieved 2026-11-06 08:38 UTC. A report's record id and times show when you hover or focus its "report" link.

Download these reports as CSV

Showing the latest 25 records of 29 records.See them all with filters.

All reports in Illinois by year: 2026 (10 here) · 2025 (17 here) · 2024 (2 here)

Wastewater outlets on this water

Combined sewer outfalls

13 outfalls · 11 closed · discharge possible now at 2

Discharge possible: heavy rain, no report received at 2 outfalls now: radar rainfall has reached the operator's threshold and no discharge report has arrived (NOAA radar estimate).

Showing 12 of 13.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) national combined sewer outfall inventory (ECHO) and state outfall layers. Open or closed as EPA's inventory lists it. DirtyWaterWatch links outlets to waters using permit numbers, locations and names.

Treatment plant outfalls

7 outfalls · 1 with no published location

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permit records (ICIS-NPDES permitted features): where a treatment plant’s permitted discharge leaves. No national source says whether a plant outfall is open or closed.

Sewer operators listed for this water: City of Belleville, Village of Hecker, Village of Orangeville, Village of Swansea, St. Clair Township.

Boat launches

No public boat launch is listed in our records for this water.

Nearby waters

Sources covering this water

29 records linked to this water. Updated .