Unsewered Communities Planning Grant Program (UCPGP)

Unsewered Communities Planning Grant Program (UCPGP) is sponsored by Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (administered with federal funds). This program provides grant money to small and disadvantaged communities in Illinois to develop a Project Plan that identifies a solution to their wastewater collection and treatment needs.

## Illinois Environmen tal Protection Agenc y 1021 North Grand Avenue East, P. O.

Box 1 9276 Springf ield, Il linois 62794 -9276 ## Illinois EPA Announces More than $500,000 in Unsew ered ## Communities Planning Grant Awards Planning grants provide funding for com munities to develop plans addr ess ing wa st ewater collection and tre atment SPRINGFIELD —Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director John Kim today announced grant awards tota ling $ 515,500 in funding to assist unsewered communities lacking wastew ater co ll ect ion and trea tm ent syste ms .

In 2020, Illinois EPA committed to making up to $1 million available for fou r years for planning grants to assist small and disadvantaged communities in developing a p roject plan that identifies a solution to wa stewater collection and treatment ne eds. This is the second round of Unsewered Comm unity Planning Grant s, following $1 million in grants annou nced in the spring of 2021.

“Since day one of my administration, I’ve been committed to the health, safety, and wellbeing of all Illinoisans,” said G overnor JB Pritzker. “It is unconscionable that —in the year 2022 —there are still underserved neighborhoods throughout our state without access to up -to -date wastewater collection and treatment systems.

Thanks to the EPA’s investment, our communities will g et the resources they need and deserve to upgrade their water infrastructure —creating a cleaner, healthier, and better Illinois. ” "Commun ities that lac k proper wastewa ter collection and tre atment systems have a si gnificant impact on the health and wellbei ng of t heir residents as well as Illinois water ways ," said Director Kim.

"Illinois EPA is excited to see more communities take advantage of thi s fun ding , which we will continue to make avail able to he lp identify sol utions and plans to me et their needs and protect the health of our residents. " Communities are considered “u nsewe red ” if they lack wastewater collection and/o r treatment systems.

Many of these commu ni ties hav e patchwork systems or decades -old undergr ound "wildcat" pipes that illegally discharge to surface waters. For a majority of these communities, the re is a lac k of local revenue to invest in the construction and long -term operation and maintenance of adequa te collection and trea tment facilities .

Add itio nally, many do not have the planning capa city needed to identify solutions and develop project plans . Unse wer ed Communities Plan ning Grant Program Awards /2 The Unsewered Communities Planning Grant Program (UCP GP ) provides communities an opportunity to obtain fu nding to dev elop a P ro ject Plan that will a ddress problems with the collection and treatme nt of wastewater .

Information from the Project Plans may also be u sed to apply for a grant from the Un se wered Communities Construction Grant Program (UCCGP ). Illinois EPA ’s UCCGP is making $100 million available over a five -year period through Governor Pritzker ’s bi pa rti san R ebuild Illin ois Capital Pla n for construction of wastewa ter collection and/or treat ment f acilities . A li st o f grant recipients un der th e UCP GP is below .

County Recipient Grant Amount Fayette Vandalia $30,00 0 Jo Daviess Elizabet h $28,000 Livingston Cullom $30,000 Madison Williamson $30,000