Fehr Graham helps clients secure lead service line inventory grants

Fehr Graham, a leading engineering and environmental firm, helped four clients secure funding in the latest round of grants aimed to address Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act (LSLRN) requirements in Illinois.

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director John Kim announced the recipients with awards ranging from $20,000 to $50,000. These grants, which will support communities creating lead service line inventories, helped 260 Illinois systems in 2023.

The City of Oregon, Village of Mount Morris and Millstone Water District in Eddyville will receive $40,000 each, and the Village of Dakota will receive $30,000. This funding will help these communities develop comprehensive inventories of their water service line materials, including lead service lines, to comply with the Illinois EPA's April 15, 2024, deadline.

"The Illinois EPA is prioritizing this funding to assist communities in the development of complete material inventories of their drinking water distribution systems," Kim said. "We are encouraged by the number of communities that continue to seek funding to identify lead service lines within the drinking water distribution systems so they can be properly removed."

Fehr Graham has helped several clients secure funding to create lead service line inventories and facilitate lead service line replacement. Notably, the firm helped the City of Rockford secure $16 million to replace more than 2,000 lead service lines.

During the third round of grants, the Illinois EPA funded 92 projects covering $3.4 million in costs. During this round, funding was capped at $50,000 per grantee. The first 42 grant recipients were announced in January 2023, followed by 120 more in August 2023. More funding is expected this year.

Grantees seeking additional support can apply for low-interest loans through the Illinois EPA's Public Water Supply Loan Program by calling the Infrastructure Financial Assistance Section Project Manager at 217.782.2027.

See all grant recipients, and read the full news release here.

Learn how Fehr Graham can help municipalities with lead service line inventory and replacement.