Resources!

In addition to the Practice Standards and Specifications, the IUM website includes a list of RESOURCES which link to a variety of great tools:

• grant websites
• sample ordinances
• permit information
• BMP manuals
• certification programs
• other useful information

Email us if you know of other resources that we could add!

Coming Soon for 2026!

Watch for the 2026 IUM Calendar featuring BMPs, Pro Tips and Trivia! Will be available from your local SWCD.

Funding for this project provided, in part, by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency through Section 604 of the Clean Water Act.

Tools for Managing NPS for Water Quality

New report from the Open Space Institute highlights the role of land protection as a tool for managing non-point source (NPS) water pollution and improving water quality at a watershed scale. Learn how other agencies have leveraged land protection strategies to achieve NPS program goals, and discover current approaches and future opportunities for advancing land protection. It is intended for use by EPA staff, land trusts, watershed associations, and other state government and non-governmental partners working to protect land for water quality.

Green Infrastructure Partnership Program

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) can help local government organizations pay for the construction of green infrastructure (GI) on public property in Cook County.

Every year, the MWRD reviews applications and selects projects for partnerships. The selected partner is responsible for their project's design, contract advertisement and award, acquisition of any necessary property rights, construction, and long-term maintenance.

DuPage County Stormwater Management accepting applications for Water Quality Grant

Now in its 27th year, the Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP) grant provides funding for projects that exhibit a regional water quality benefit, including restoration and green infrastructure projects.

Under the program, organizations and individuals may apply for reimbursement of up to 25 percent of costs for projects that improve water quality. Since the grant program began in 2000, DuPage County has awarded approximately $6.9 million to 120 projects, such as permeable paver parking lots, green roofs, and native vegetation, with $300,000 awarded annually.

IEPA Overflow and Sewer Grant Program

The Overflow and Sewer Grant (OSG) Program seeks to address local governments' infrastructure needs for Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs), and stormwater management. Applicants must apply for a grant through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Portal. Grants will be awarded until all $5 million in funds are expended or until January 1, 2027, whichever comes first.

Call to Action: Combating

Non-Point Source and Stormwater Pollution

Sponsor Tomorrow's Environmental Stewards

For 2026, Envirothon has chosen the environmental issue: Non-Point Source Pollution: it begins at home! Students will learn about NPS pollution and identify its origins in both urban and rural settings. They will conduct their own NPS surveys in their community and watershed. Additionally, they will research NPS mitigation strategies, which encompass actions at both the individual level - such as conservation, recycling, and responsible consumption - and the community level, including watershed planning, best management practices, nature-based solutions, water quality testing, and litter prevention initiatives.

Sponsors are critical every year to keep this program available so that teams of high school students can compete regionally in the areas of aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife and the current issue in natural resources. If your mission includes pollution prevention, our Sponsorship Form is available now for 2026!

The Northeastern Illinois Envirothon is organized by local soil and water conservation districts for high schools in Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will and Winnebago counties. See link below to find your regional SWCD.

• Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy Partnership Conference ~ November 5 in Champaign, IL and Virtual
• IL Section ASCE EWRI Chicagoland Water Resources Permitting Seminar ~ November 19 in Naperville, IL
• American Water Works Assoc Illinois Section Calendar

2026

• KDSWCD 23rd Annual SESC Seminar - Green Infrastructure ~ January 28 in Elgin, IL
• Stormwater USA ~ February 2-3 in Orange County, CA
• Illinois Road & Transportation Builders Assoc Convention ~ February 6-12 in Mexico
• Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport Show ~ February 16-19 in Indianapolis, IN
• Central States Water Environment Assoc Government Affairs Seminar ~ February 19 in Fond du Lac, WI
• International Erosion Control Association Annual Conference ~ March 1-4 in Fort Worth, TX
• Illinois Assoc. of Floodplain & Stormwater Mgmt Annual Conference ~ March 11-12 in Champaign, IL

Tier One $50