DuPage County committee opens 2026 water‑quality grant round, extends IEPA grant and receives generator contract

DuPage County’s Stormwater Committee voted to open the 2026 Water Quality Improvement Grant program and set a submission deadline of Jan. 2, 2026, during a meeting that also approved a time extension on an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) grant and received an informational contract for generator maintenance.

The committee voted to open the grant round after staff said the program will be funded at $300,000 as approved in the stormwater budget and that the county’s grants typically help parlay additional federal, state or local funding. “We’re able to allocate, as approved in our budget, $300,000, which usually can parlay into over $1,000,000 worth of improvements going into green infrastructure in our communities,” staff member Sarah said.

The committee also approved an extension of time for an IEPA Section 319 nonpoint source pollution financial assistance grant (accounting unit 3065) for the Winfield Creek restoration project. Staff said the extension was requested because threatened and endangered species were encountered during design, which required extra evaluation and delayed construction; the EPA had no objections and the extension involved no change in grant cost.

In informational business, the committee received and placed on file a contract award to GenServ LLC for semiannual inspection, preventive maintenance and emergency call service for campus backup generators from Nov. 1, 2025, through Oct. 31, 2027, in an amount not to exceed $138,832.

During public comment, Kaye McKee highlighted local outreach and programs — including school participation in a design challenge, two new cooking‑oil drop‑off locations in West Chicago, storm‑drain medallions in Woodridge, and county participation in a countywide pumpkin‑smash collection across more than 20 towns — remarks the committee acknowledged but did not act on.

At the meeting’s close, committee members discussed the county board’s 2026 capital allocations for stormwater. The chair said the board awarded an additional $4,000,000 to stormwater projects and later referred to a total of $6,500,000 allocated to county infrastructure and quarry stabilization work in addition to the normal stormwater budget; staff said design engineers will finalize cost estimates before bidding.

The committee also noted changes to the MS4 permit and said the county will form a stakeholder group with municipalities to coordinate new permit responsibilities such as leaf‑collection and salt‑management documentation.

Routine business items — approval of minutes and schedule of claims — were also approved by unanimous voice vote. A member asked for clarification about a $60,000 Willowbrook Borse Park stream project payment in the claims list; staff said the work had been approved previously and the project had been completed.