Opportunity Information
CSFA Number
532-60-3532
CSFA Popular Name
EC-SDC Grant Program
Title
Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant
Description
The principal objective of the program is to enable water systems serving small or disadvantaged communities to effectively address emerging contaminants in drinking and/or source water, and to minimize potential public health risks from emerging contaminants in the future. Illinois EPA’s program is testing for PFAS and Manganese to gain a better understanding of the occurrence of these emerging contaminants in drinking water and source water. This funding will also help improve public health in SDCs by remediating high levels of PFAS and Manganese in their drinking water. Illinois EPA is making $40,249,646 available to projects already enrolled in the Public Water Supply Loan Program (PWSLP) which are addressing PFAS or Manganese in disadvantaged communities or in communities with a population less than 10,000.
Awarding Agency Name
Environmental Protection
Agency Contact Name
Rachael Heaton
Agency Contact Phone
217-782-7028
Agency Contact Email
Rachael.Heaton@illinois.gov
Program
3532 Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant
Departments
Bureau of Water - IFAS
Opportunity Manager
Rachael Heaton
Additional Users
Lanina Clark, Allison Fry
Posted Date
Announcement Type
Initial Announcement
Funding Opportunity Number
26-3532-01
Public Link
Is Published
Yes
Funding Information
Opportunity Funding
$40,249,646.00
Funding Sources
Federal Or Federal Pass Through
Funding Source Description
The EC-SDC Grant Program will be utilizing $40,249,646 from the EPA EC-SDC Grant Program which congress appropriated from the State and Tribal Assistance Grant (STAG).
Award Information
Award Ceiling
$15,000,000.00
Award Type
Non Competitive
Capital Grant
Yes
Indirect Costs Allowed
Yes
Restrictions on Indirect Costs
No
Submission Information
Submission Timeline Type
One Time
Submission Open Date
Submission Close Date
Submission Timeline Additional Information
Incomplete applications shall:
a. Be deemed incomplete,
b. NOT be considered for funding,
c. Preclude the Illinois EPA from making an award to the applicant.
Allow Multiple Applications
Yes
Question Submission Information
Question Submission Email Address
Eligibility Information
Eligibility Type
Public
Eligible Applicants
Others, Government Organizations
Applicant Eligibility Information
To be eligible for EC-SDC grant funding, applicants must be Illinois Community Water Supplies which meet the eligibility requirements of the Public Water Supply Loan Program (PWSLP) as described in Section 662.130 of the Illinois Procedures for Issuing Loans from the PWSLP and have pre-qualified through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal. Applicants must have also submitted a complete Funding Nomination Form (FNF) to the Illinois EPA’s PWSLP, have received approval of a Project Plan meeting the requirements of 35 Ill. Adm. Code 662.320, and be listed on the PWSLP FY 2025 or FY 2026 Emerging Contaminant Intended Funding Lists. Applicants will be limited to those having a service population below 10,000 or which qualify as a disadvantaged community as defined by 35 Ill. Adm. Code 662.110. Applicants must be in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State pursuant to 44 Ill. Am. Code 7000.70 (f)(3) and 30 ILCS 708/25(6)(E). Applicants who do not meet these criteria are NOT eligible for the Illinois EPA EC-SDC Grant Program Funding.
Beneficiary Eligibility Information
N/A
Credentials Documentation Eligibility Information
Applicants must have submitted a complete funding nomination form (FNF) to the Illinois EPA PWSLP, have received approval of a Project Plan meeting the requirements of 35 Ill. Adm. Code 662.320 by March 31st, 2024, or March 31st, 2025, and be listed on the PWSLP FY2025 or the FY 2026 Emerging Contaminant Intended Funding List.
Additional Eligibility Information
Projects who meet these eligibility requirements are as follows:
Dalzell L177000*, Dalzell L177001*, Fox Lake L176376, Fox Lake L177140, Fox Lake L177141, Fox Lake L177173, Freeport L175643, Mazon L177030, Peoria Heights L176810, Port Byron L177121*, Robinson-Palestine Water Commission L176744, Rockdale L177318*, Seaton L176541*, South Pekin L176760, and W2E Incorporated L176742.
*These projects will need bids in hand showing need for further funds in order to apply. Communities must advertise for bids no later than June 1, 2026, to make the application deadline.
PLEASE NOTE: Eligible costs under this grant include design engineering, construction engineering, construction costs, and the cost of reporting efforts related to any reporting requirements of the grant agreement. Only costs incurred starting January 1, 2025, are eligible under this grant.
Additional Information
Additional Information URL
Award Administration Information
Administrative and National Policy Requirements
If the grantee of a EC-SDC Grant is at any time offered any State, federal, or local grant or any other funding source, to assist in the payment of expenses for which the EC-SDC Grant Program grant payment has been issued, the recipient shall reimburse the State of Illinois for any EC-SDC Grant Program grant funds used to pay expenses or offered to be paid under another grant or funding source.
Each grantee must agree to comply with all applicable federal and State requirements. This includes Uniform Administrative Requirements, 2 CFR § 200 and GATA. These can have a significant impact on the costs and complexity of a project. EC-SDC Grant Program grantees will be expected to submit a completed and signed Certifications and Assurances Acknowledgement Form confirming that they will comply with all State and federal mandates.
If the grantee has been placed in the Illinois Debt Recovery Offset Portal due to delinquent debt owed to the State of Illinois, all grant payments will be held until the grantees satisfies all delinquent debt.
Additional requirements for federally funded grants are as follows:
a. All geospatial data created must be consistent with Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) endorsed standards. Information on these standards may be found at www.fgdc.gov.
b. Internal Controls for Financial Transactions: The recipient agrees to use procedures consistent with “zero-trust” (never trust, always verify) for all financial transactions with SRF funds. These procedures must include verbal verification with a trusted recipient representative of all financial account information both initially and prior to any changes in financial account information.
Reporting
All projects require, at minimum, annual reporting of progress, annual financial reporting, and a final project evaluation and report. More frequent reporting may be required at the discretion of the Illinois EPA. Specific reporting requirements will be detailed within the UGA and will be determined based on the applicant’s scored risk assessments. Annual progress reports shall include a PERIODIC FINANCIAL REPORT, a PERIODIC PERFORMANCE REPORT, and a BRIEF
PROJECT NARRATIVE.
For the purpose of reconciliation, all projects require an annual Periodic Financial Report reflecting the project’s progress over the grantee’s fiscal year. This report should include the Grantee’s entire Fiscal Year expenditures for their award.
All projects require a final project report. The grantee shall submit to the Illinois EPA, by the date specified in the grant agreement, a report explaining the execution of the project and evaluating the project’s success. The report shall document the project tasks and summarize the findings, costs, and benefits of the project.
State Awarding Agency Contacts
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Bureau of Water, # 15
2520 West Iles Avenue
P.O. Box 19276
Springfield, Illinois 62794-9276
Email: rachael.heaton@illinois.gov – Rachael Heaton
allison.fry@illinois.gov – Allison Fry
jillian.fowler@illinois.gov - Jillian Fowler
julie.matthews@illinois.gov - Julie Matthews
kaitlyn.m.holtsclaw@illinois.gov - Kaitlyn Holtsclaw
Phone:(217) 782-2027 (Rachael Heaton, Allison Fry)
Other Information
Pre-award costs on or after 1/1/2025 are allowable for this grant opportunity under 2 CFR 200.458. Depending on the applicant’s fiscal year and identified risks through the GATA required Internal Controls Questionnaire (ICQ), pre-award costs may trigger an audit requirement.
Criteria
All submitted EC-SDC Grant Program applications shall be reviewed for completeness, technical merit, and adherence to the grant eligibility requirements described in this NOFO. Applications found to be complete and meet ALL eligibility criteria will be prioritized and funded on a first come first served basis. Successful applicants will be notified within approximately 30 days of application submission. An individual grant award amount will be based on the estimated project cost listed on the applicant’s FNF minus the amount of Emerging Contaminant loan principal forgiveness the applicant qualifies for in the PWSLP with an award ceiling of $15,000,000 per applicant. Grant funds, if available, may also be awarded to PWSLP Emerging Contaminant projects whose bids come in over the estimated project cost.
Projects who meet the eligibility criteria can be found on the Emerging Contaminant Intended Funding Lists for FY 2025 and FY 2026 and, in the table, below:
| Eligible Projects | Loan Numbers | Estimated Total Project Cost | Reserved EC Loan Principal Forgiveness | Potential EC-SDC Grant Award based on current numbers |
| Dalzell* | 7000 | $ 2,704,975.00 | $ 2,704,975.00 | $ - |
| Dalzell* | 7001 | $ 2,739,485.00 | $ 2,739,485.00 | $ - |
| Fox Lake | 7140 | $ 10,800,000.00 | $ - | $ 10,800,000.00 |
| Fox Lake | 7141 | $ 12,600,000.00 | $ - | $ 12,600,000.00 |
| Fox Lake | 7173 | $ 4,400,000.00 | $ - | $ 4,400,000.00 |
| Fox Lake | 6376 | $ 750,000.00 | $ - | $ 750,000.00 |
| Freeport | 5643 | $ 30,885,601.48 | $16,822,071.00 | $ 14,063,530.48 |
| Mazon | 7030 | $ 8,499,000.00 | $ 6,500,000.00 | $ 1,999,000.00 |
| Peoria Heights | 6810 | $ 8,500,000.00 | $ 6,500,000.00 | $ 2,000,000.00 |
| Port Byron* | 7121 | $ 2,022,000.00 | $ 2,022,000.00 | $ - |
| Robinson Palestine Water Commission | 6744 | $ 27,000,000.00 | $ 3,984,540.00 | $ 15,000,000.00 |
| Rockdale* | 7318 | $ 1,075,000.00 | $ 1,075,000.00 | $ - |
| Seaton* | 6541 | $ 1,500,000.00 | $ 1,500,000.00 | $ - |
| South Pekin | 6760 | $ 3,646,039.00 | $ 3,327,679.00 | $ 318,360.00 |
| W2E, Incorporated | 6742 | $ 17,198,301.00 | $ 6,500,000.00 | $ 10,698,301.00 |
| *These projects will need bids in hand showing need for further funds in order to apply. Communities must advertise for bids no later than June 1, 2026 to make the application deadline. | ||||
Review and Selection Process
Applicants who submit complete applications and meet all eligibility criteria will be selected for funding. The eligibility criteria are below:
Applicants must have submitted a complete FNF to the Illinois EPA PWSLP, have received approval of a Project Plan meeting the requirements of 35 Ill. Adm. Code 662.320 by March 31st, 2024, or March 31st, 2025, and be listed on the PWSLP FY2025 or the FY2026 Emerging Contaminant Intended Funding Lists.
- Applicants must also have a service population below 10,000 or be disadvantaged communities as defined by 35 Ill. Adm. Code 662.210.
- Applicants must be Illinois Community Water Supplies which meet the eligibility requirements of the PWSLP as described in Section 662.130 of the Illinois Procedures for Issuing Loans from the PWSLP.
- Applicant must be registered and pre-qualified through the GATA Grantee Portal, https://grants.illinois.gov/portal/. Registration and pre-qualification are required annually. During GATA pre-qualification, verifications are performed including a check of the federal Debarred and Suspended list and status on the Illinois Stop Payment List. An automated email notification from the GATA Portal to the entity alerts them of ‘qualified’ status or informs how to remediate a negative verification (e.g., inactive UEI, not in good standing with the Secretary of State). A federal Debarred and Suspended status cannot be remediated.
APPLICANTS THAT ARE INELIGIBLE UNDER THIS NOFO:
- Applicants not identified as a disadvantaged community or with a service population above 10,000.
- Applicants who have not submitted an FNF to the PWSLP and have not received planning approval by March 31st, 2024, or March 31st, 2025.
- Entities who have been placed in the Illinois Debt Recovery Offset Portal.
- Entities that have NOT satisfied the following GATA pre-qualification requirements:
- Registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) (www.SAM.gov).
- Have a valid Unique Entity Identification (UEI) number.
- Completed an Internal Controls Questionnaire (ICQ) as the fiscal and administrative risk assessment for the current fiscal year – FY 2026 or FY 2027 (when available)
- In good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State.
- Not currently debarred by the State of Illinois and/or federal government.
- Not on the Federal Excluded Parties List.
- Not on the Illinois Stop Payment List.
- Not on the sanctioned party list of the Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services.
- Not on the SAM.gov Exclusion List.
Anticipated Announcement Dates
ACTION BY ILLINOIS EPA | ANTICIPATED DATE |
| Notify applicants that their application was received. | Within approximately 7 days of application submittal to the Illinois EPA. |
| Notify unsuccessful applicants their application was not selected for funding. | Within approximately 30 days of the application submittal deadline. |
| Notify successful applicants that their application was selected for funding. | Within approximately 30 days of the application submittal deadline. |
| Provide a fully executed grant agreement to the grantee | Within 3 months of notification to an applicant that their application was selected for funding. |
*Please note these are the anticipated dates and may not be exact.*