Braidwood Generating Station

About the Program
The Exelon Braidwood Lake Generating Station is located in Will County, Illinois, and serves Chicago and northern Illinois. The 2,640-acre facility leads a multifaceted monitoring effort and manages the project for the purpose of providing recreational fishing opportunities and quality habitat for local and migratory wildlife species. Since the 1980s, the lake has been maintained and assessed through various water quality monitoring opportunities; fish community monitoring; bryozoan, aquatic macrophyte and phytoplankton monitoring; as well as zebra mussel monitoring and algal mitigation efforts. The results of these monitoring efforts have led to better management of the lake as a public resource through partnership with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Practices and Impacts

• The Braidwood team worked with local 4H clubs and Midwest Bat Hub to create and educational event around the construction, painting and installation of several bat houses. While working with the bat houses, students learned about bat natural history and their importance in functional ecosystems. The houses were then installed by staff at various locations on-site.
• A quality deer management program was recently initiated. Food plots were created and placed at various sites around the installation. Deer are monitored and subsequently harvested using a number of criteria intended to support a sustainable and healthy white-tailed deer population.