Illinois offers $5 million in grants to fight water pollution runoff
Published 7:01 pm Wednesday, July 22, 2026
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is offering $5 million in grant funding for projects aimed at reducing nonpoint source pollution, contamination caused by rainfall or snowmelt carrying pollutants into lakes, rivers, wetlands, and groundwater, the agency announced Tuesday.
The funding, distributed through the agency’s Section 319(h) Grant Program, is intended to support the development and implementation of watershed management plans across the state, according to Illinois EPA Director James Jennings.
“The Section 319 Grant Program targets areas of the state prone to nonpoint source pollution,” Jennings said in a statement. “This funding will aid in the development and implementation of watershed management plans to benefit local watersheds.”
Nonpoint source pollution differs from pollution traced to a single source, such as a factory or sewage plant. Instead, it results from runoff picking up pollutants as it moves across land before draining into waterways or underground water sources used for drinking water.
The grant program prioritizes projects that carry out components of a watershed-based plan or pollution-reduction plan already approved by the Illinois EPA. Eligible projects can include implementation of best management practices, environmental and social monitoring, and public outreach efforts.
Of the $5 million available, up to $500,000 is earmarked for watershed-based planning projects, $250,000 for education and outreach projects, $150,000 for monitoring projects, and $3.7 million for best management practice implementation projects. The agency noted that actual funding levels depend on the final federal budget approved by Congress and the amount allocated to Illinois.
Applications will be accepted through 1 p.m. Sept. 16 and must be submitted through the state’s Grant Accountability and Transparency Act Grantee Portal. Additional details are available on the Illinois EPA’s website.
