Six Illinois Communities to Receive Funding Through Illinois EPA Unsewered Communities Construction Grants

SPRINGFIELD — Governor JB Pritzker and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director John J. Kim on Feb 17th, announced $21,046,025 in grants to six communities across the State through Illinois EPA’s Unsewered Communities Construction Grant Program (UCCGP). Made possible through the Governor’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan, these grants will allow underserved communities to construct dependable wastewater collection and/or treatment systems.

"No community should be forced to function without a high quality water infrastructure system,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The historic Rebuild Illinois capital plan is ushering our state’s wastewater infrastructure into the 21st Century, providing solutions that work for everyone. Thanks to this grant program, residents across the state will reap the benefits of a safe home, clean streets, clean water and clean air.”

This is the second of five planned funding rounds for this program, which provides funding to areas where there are currently no wastewater collection and/or treatment facilities. Under Governor Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan, Illinois EPA is making $100 million available over five years through grants for the construction of wastewater collection and/or treatment facilities for such communities. Additionally, the Unsewered Communities Planning Grant Program (UCPGP) provides up to $1M annually in smaller scale grants to help communities develop construction plans for these types of projects. Recipients for 2021 and 2022 planning grants were previously announced.

“These grants will provide vital funding to communities that currently do not have the ability to properly and adequately collect and treat wastewater, which can result in negative impacts on the surrounding environment, public health concerns for residents, and a barrier for economic development,” said Director Kim. “These projects demonstrate what is possible when a community has the financial resources needed to address basic human-health needs.”

Communities that are receiving UCCGP Grants include:

• Village of Braceville in Will County will receive $4 million. With this grant, the Village, a completely unsewered community, will be abandoning approximately 315 septic tanks located throughout the Village. A low-pressure sanitary sewer collection system will be installed that will pump sewage to the wastewater treatment plant located in nearby Diamond.
• Village of Buckley in Iroquois County will receive $5 million. Another completely unsewered community, the Village of Buckley will be constructing a new sanitary sewer system that will include sanitary sewer, two pump stations, and sanitary sewer force main. All septic tanks will be abandoned as part of this project.
• City of Grand Tower in Jackson County will receive $1,091,500. The City will be providing service to a currently unsewered area within the community. The project will install sanitary sewers, sanitary sewer force main, 16 manholes, 15 service connections, and a pump station along Grand Tower Road and Route 3. This project will also include abandonment of existing septic tanks located at this location.
• Village of Lisbon in Kendall County will receive $5 million. The village will extend sewer service to all 103 residences. The project will also include gravity sanitary sewer along with seven lift stations and force main. In addition, there will be two additional primary settling tanks and a tertiary treatment system constructed at the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Lisbon has an existing WWTP that was constructed in 2013; however, due to lack of funding, they were not able to install any sewers or commence plant operations. This grant will allow for the residents of Lisbon to be connected to the existing WWTP for sanitary sewer treatment.
• Village of Rutland in LaSalle County will receive $5 million. As another completely unsewered community, the Village’s sanitary service is currently treated by septic tanks with effluent draining to drainage fields and field tiles. This project will connect 143 customers to the new collection system and treatment plant. The new sanitary sewer collection system will include two lift stations with stand-by power generators. The new treatment system will include an aerated lagoon with a third stage filter.
• City of Streator in LaSalle and Livingston counties will receive $954,525. The City will extend sewer service to the Liz Mar East Addition subdivision. This subdivision includes 16 residential homes. Due to a high-water table and pooling in many of the homeowners’ yards, the septic tanks and leach fields are not able to operate properly. The project will extend sanitary sewer from an existing sanitary sewer main located on Main Street. The project will consist of sanitary sewer and eight sanitary manholes. Connection of the service lines for each homeowner will also be covered by this grant.

For more information about the Unsewered Communities Construction and Planning Grant Programs, please visit https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/grants-loans/unsewered-communities/Pages/default.aspx.