Lake County Watershed Management Board Funding Program Mike Prusila, CFM, Watershed Planner

Lake County Watershed Management Board (WMB)  Primary Role: Serve as a forum for the coordination and allocation of resources, to contribute to basin planning projects, and to solve interjurisdictional watershed issues.  Make recommendations to SMC on financial, institutional, and programmatic aspects of the drainage system and stormwater management services.

Funding Goals  Primary: Flood Damage Reduction  Secondary: Water Quality Improvement Ecosystem Restoration Education  Projects required by permit not eligible

Cost-Share Requirement  Minimum 50% applicant cost share requirement Cash In-kind services Combination Could be made up of several jurisdictions and/or use federal or state funds  $150,000 total available for last 3 years, divided into 4 watersheds (Fox River Watershed last year received $25,840).

WMB History  Began as 4 separate boards in 1995 Fox River Des Plaines River North Branch of the Chicago River Lake Michigan  Now operates as one countywide board

WMB Membership  Chief Elected Officials Villages Cities Townships Active Drainage Districts  County Board Members  Fox Waterway Agency CEO  Delegates of the above

WMB Project Types  Planning  Engineering Analysis  Alternate Solution Evaluation  Design  Capital Construction  Maintenance & Repairs

Project Selection  Project funding recommendations to SMC are made based on consensus agreement by the participating members and delegates. If a clear consensus cannot be reached, then all positions expressed by WMB members and delegates are presented to the SMC.

Application Process  Annual Application Schedule Request for Proposals in July/August Proposals due in September/October Staff recommendations to WMB in December WMB recommendations to SMC in January Grant agreements done in March

Project Prioritization Criteria  Benefit multiple jurisdictions (25%)  Beneficial results for up to 100-year flood event (20%)  Alleviate structural flood damages (15%)  Reduce surface water quality problems using BMPs (15%)  Benefit environment w/emphasis on non-structural natural resource protection strategies (10%)

Project Prioritization Criteria (cont.)  Alleviate major nuisance flooding (5%)  Provide multiple use benefits such as recreation, public education, data collection, etc. (5%)  Utilize state and/or federal funding as much as possible (5%)  Bonus points for greater than 50% applicant cost share (5%)

Watershed Management Assistance Grants (WMAG)  Specialized type of WMB grant with primary purpose of supporting growth and sustainability (i.e., organizational capacity) of local watershed partnerships in Lake County.  $10,000 is set aside for these applications with no cost-share requirement.

U.S. EPA State and Tribal Assistance Grant (STAG)  SMC may receive special appropriations for projects and/or planning  Awarded through the U.S. EPA State and Tribal Assistance Grant program  U.S. EPA will match up to 55% of project costs through STAG program  SMC issues RFP at county level to solicit local projects and partners

U.S. EPA State and Tribal Assistance Grant (STAG)  Projects may include: Stormwater system improvements & retrofits Stream channel & floodplain improvements Streambank and shoreline stabilization Wetland enhancement  Requires local match of at least 45% (cash or in-kind)

U.S. EPA State and Tribal Assistance Grant (STAG)  SMC ranks proposals, applies to U.S. EPA for approval  STAG funds are usually allocated to multiple projects  Typical allocation $20K-$100K per project

U.S. EPA State and Tribal Assistance Grant (STAG)  May use local or State grants as match (WMB or C2000)  Cannot be matched with other Federal funding sources (319, NFWF)  Other caveats: Not a regular source of funding for SMC projects Can be a lengthy process (up to 2 years for approval, more for actual construction) Project area may be geographically limited (e.g., DPR)

SMC Contacts for WMB  Des Plaines River and North Branch of the Chicago River watersheds: Christine Gaynes    Fox River and Lake Michigan watersheds Rasto Vrazda  