reduced the chances of hypothetical bathers contracting disease downstream of a sewage outfall, chlorination also killed most aquatic life for miles downstream. Late in the 1980s, the Sanitary District was allowed to discontinue chlorination. Fish soon returned to the Boneyard, after the chlorine block was removed from the Saline Branch. The fish, however, live a tenuous life on the Boneyard, which has frequently seen major fish kills as a result of spills and other accidents in the urbanized area. One branch of the Boneyard extends into South Neil Street, where it meets the headwaters of the Embarrass and Kaskaskia rivers. During the 1920s, the Illinois Central Railroad tracks were elevated in this area, to allow traffic to pass under the tracks. The rail embankment cut off the South Neil branch of the Boneyard, creating "Lake Neil" after a moderate rain event. This flooding would subside over several hours as the water flowed under the rail embankment through tiles. The City of Champaign, in cooperation with the University of Illinois, has set up a master plan for improving the creek's watershed. During the 1980s, "Lake Neil" was eliminated by placing larger tiles under the rail embankment. This, however, had the effect of creating flooding on the other side of the tracks, near Fourth and Green, where the branches of the Boneyard joined. In wet years, flooding caused damage estimated to be as much as $1000 per year. During the late 1990s, the City of Champaign resolved to eliminate the flooding near Fourth Street and Green Street. After considerable debate, the city built an enormous detention basin upstream of Fourth and Green streets, at a cost of approximately $22 million. The basin is designed to fill when the Boneyard approaches flood stage, preventing flooding at Fourth and Green streets up to a 100-year flood. Coordinates - Scott Park, Champaign - UIUC Engineering campus, Urbana - Patterson Parklet, Urbana Boneyard Greenway The Boneyard Greenway is a pedestrian and bike path that runs along the length of the Boneyard Creek from S 1st St to S 6th St. This path is used primarily by UIUC students, faculty, and local residents to navigate campus away from the busy sidewalks and streets of the main roads. See also List of Illinois rivers References External links BoneyardCreek.org Prairie Rivers Network USGS Real-Time Stream Gage 'Boneyard' University of Illinois Alumni play Jazz Boneyard Creek bibliography Illinois Harvest Boneyard