 As part of more than added to the Illinois state park system during this period, Silver Springs opened to alleviate traffic at other state parks in the area.At the time, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), which oversees the state park system, was attempting to provide the Chicago area with the most state park facilities in Illinois.The park had nine extant wells tapping the Galena–Platteville Aquifer when the state purchased the property.