Spotted Lanternfly inWill County, ILSPOTTED LANTERNFLY GUIDE

Will County is one of Illinois's highest-risk watch zone counties, sitting directly at the convergence of I-80 — the nation's most-traveled coast-to-coast freight route — and I-55, I-57, and I-355, making Joliet and the Romeoville/Bolingbrook corridor one of the most heavily truck-trafficked regions in the Midwest. The county also hosts major intermodal rail facilities that handle cargo from throughout the eastern United States, including areas with active SLF infestations. Will County shares its eastern border with the Chicago Southland and is within 40 miles of the Indiana state line, where SLF populations are established and expanding. The Illinois and Michigan Canal and the Des Plaines River run through the county, providing riparian corridors lined with Tree of Heaven that could sustain SLF populations once introduced. IDOA considers Will County a priority early-detection zone.