Dupage Policy Journal

The DuPage County Stormwater Management Planning Committee recently voted to approve the 2020 recipients for the County’s Water Quality Improvement Program grant.

Six projects were chosen, each with a unique approach to improving the water quality in the county’s streams and rivers.

The Village of Carol Stream will be launching a project to stabilize the stream bank, the Village of Clarendon Hill is working on the downtown green infrastructure, the Village of Glendale Heights is restoring Klein Creek, the Village of Oak Brook’s is stabilizing the shoreline, the Oakwood Homeowners’ Association is stabilizing the shore, and the City of Wood Dale is working on stormwater detention and treatment.

Jim Zay, DuPage County Stormwater Management Committee chairman, explained the decision-making process for the recipients of the grant. 

“We had an eclectic mix of projects submitted to us this year, all taking unique approaches to improving our local streams and rivers,” Zay recently told  Patch.com.  “The projects we selected to partially fund will not only improve local water quality but also provide flood reduction benefits, economic revitalization, aesthetic enhancements, and ecosystem improvements.”

The Water Quality Improvement Program has been offering its grant for 21 years and has a history of awarding up to 25% of funding for local projects that are concerned with the benefit of regional water quality in the county. 

The DuPage County applicants this year totaled eight, with a combined projected budget of $22 million in improvements. Of the eight applications, the six that were chosen were awarded a combined $395,500.

Since the start of the grant program, nearly $4 million has been allocated and 62 projects have been completed in DuPage County.