Butterfield Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed May 19, 2011

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

Thorn Creek Thorn Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 19, 2011 tributary of the Little Calumet River that travels through Will County, Illinois, Will and Cook County, Illin ...

near

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, United States. Via Thorn Creek, it is part of the

Calumet River The Calumet River is a system of heavily industrialized rivers and canals in the region between the south side of Chicago, Illinois, and the city of Gary, Indiana. Historically, the Little Calumet River and the Grand Calumet River were one, the ...

watershed flowing to

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

. It is at its widest around the towns of Homewood,

Chicago Heights Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,480 at the 2020 census. In earlier years, Chicago Heights was nicknamed "The Crossroads of the Nation". Currently, it is nicknamed "The Heights". Geograp ...

and Glenwood. The creek starts in a small marsh in

Matteson Matteson may refer to: Places * Matteson, Illinois * Matteson, Wisconsin * Matteson Township, Michigan Others * Matteson (surname) * Matteson (Metra), railway station in Illinois, United States * Matteson M-1 The Matteson M-1 was an Amer ...

and reaches its confluence with Thorn Creek in Glenwood. Butterfield Creek is severely degraded by a variety of pollutants including heavy metals,

DDT Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, is a colorless, tasteless, and almost odorless crystalline chemical compound, an organochloride. Originally developed as an insecticide, it became infamous for its environmental impacts. ...

, bacteria, and sediment which limits the stream's habitat potential. Several

sewage treatment plant Sewage treatment (or domestic wastewater treatment, municipal wastewater treatment) is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable for discharge to the surrounding envir ...

s discharge into the stream. Riparian habitat is also severely disturbed by a combination of extreme discharges of stormwater and development. The stream has been the focus of many efforts to restore and protect water quality undertaken by a variety of governmental, non-governmental and private entities. Butterfield Creek flows through several country club

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

s in

Olympia Fields Olympia Fields is a village and a south suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,718 as of the 2020 census. The municipality grew up around the prestigious Olympia Fields Country Club, originally established ...

Flossmoor Flossmoor () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,704 at the 2020 census. Flossmoor is approximately 25 miles south of the Chicago Loop. Geography Flossmoor is located at (41.541684, -87.684970). According ...

, and Homewood; management of these tracts has degraded in-stream and riparian conditions necessary for wildlife movement. The Butterfield Creek corridor continues to provide some habitat connectivity between upland headwaters and the complex of Cook County Forest Preserve District properties along Thorn Creek. The Town of Homewood has created a run/walk trail along portions of lower Butterfield Creek.

References

External links

EPA info River flow info
Rivers of Illinois Rivers of Cook County, Illinois Tributaries of Lake Michigan {{Illinois-river-stub