This agreement provides funding to the illinois environmental protection agency to assist an underserved community to meet and comply with safe drinking water act (SDWA) drinking water regulations

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 awarded $1.608 million in formula grant funding to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Small and Underserved Communities Emerging Contaminants Grant Program (CFDA 66.442) on February 2, 2026. This award supports planning and design projects that will help small and disadvantaged communities in Illinois achieve compliance with Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) regulations. The Illinois EPA will conduct activities including development of contaminant action plans, preliminary and final engineering designs, and preliminary engineering reports that analyze alternative solutions for addressing drinking water infrastructure needs.

Funds will be subaward to water systems serving small, underserved, and disadvantaged Illinois communities to address Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) violations, action level exceedances, and treatment technique violations through technical assistance, infrastructure improvements, water system consolidation, and water sourcing initiatives. The grant extends through February 1, 2028, with specific deliverables and measurable outcomes to be determined following project selection. Intended outcomes include enabling affected water systems to effectively address contaminants in drinking and source water while minimizing public health risks from contaminant exposure in underserved Illinois communities.

Activities:the activities include planning and design projects that develop contaminant action plans, preliminary and final designs and preliminary engineering report including analysis of results/alternatives. Selected projects are expected to involve infrastructure needs, technical assistance, community water supply consolidation, and/or water sourcing. Subrecipient:subawarded projects will address MCL violations, action level exceedences, and/or treatment technique violations in systems serving small and/or disadvantaged communities in illinois.outcomes:specific deliverables will be determined once projects are selected from iepa's notice of funding opportunity. Intended outcomes include enabling water systems serving small, underserved, and disadvantaged communities to effectively address contaminants in drinking and/or source water, and to minimize potential public health risks from contaminants in the future. Intended beneficiaries are illinois communities that qualify as underserved and small and/or disadvantaged.