Parks and recreational areas are valuable assets to many communities. They serve as gathering places, promote physical and mental health and improve overall quality of life. These spaces support public health by encouraging exercise and active lifestyles, boost local economies by attracting visitors and tourists, and foster a stronger sense of comm...
Fehr Graham, a leading engineering and environmental firm, helped the Village of Davis and the Decatur Park District secure grant funding to enhance local parks and expand recreational opportunities. Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently announced more than $55 million in Open Space Land Acquisition and De...
Beautification projects improve public spaces. Landscaping, maintenance, streetscaping, signage, lighting, parking and public art enhance communities. They may also help to improve traffic flow, preserve historic buildings and upgrade parks and open spaces. Improving aesthetics benefits the public, but the expense can deter smaller municipalities f...
A staggering 150 million Americans live within 3 miles of contaminated brownfields, making cleanup and redevelopment funds a priority nationwide. In May, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a boon in funding from the Invest in America agenda, providing $300 million to facilitate ongoing efforts to clean and redevelop polluted brownf...
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources administers the state-financed Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grants. This cost-sharing grant program between the state and local governments helps Illinois communities acquire and develop land for public parks and recreational spaces. Whether it is a small neighborhood park or a la...
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) offers a historic investment to help local and state governments improve transportation and other infrastructure. With this massive influx of funding — $1.2 trillion — we can improve infrastructure for public transit, drinking water and wastewater for years. After we review grants specific to Illinois, Iowa a...
Fehr Graham, a leading Midwest engineering and environmental firm, helped three clients secure principal forgiveness funding to replace lead service lines. The Village of Hanover in Jo Daviess County received $2,755,000 to replace 235 lead service lines. The City of Polo in Ogle County received $2 million to replace 175 lead service lines. The Vill...
Transportation infrastructure doesn't come cheap. Preserving historical trails, updating bike paths and carving out walkways require significant resources. Luckily, municipalities can secure grant funding through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP). Maintaining safe systems of transportation is one way to safeguard your community...
Does your neighborhood have at least 51% low-to-moderate income individuals? If so, you may qualify for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), a federally funded program to support community development in low-income populations. This program's stringent eligibility requirements are governed by the Code of Federal Regulations. To qualify, at...
Are you ready to transform an under-used space in your community? Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its third round of brownfield grants, totaling $235 million. It is anticipated that approximately 200 grants will be awarded through the Brownfields Program. With this grant, the EPA partners with federal and state a...
Secondary contaminants in drinking water, also known as nuisance chemicals, do not pose potential health hazards but they may cause water to smell or taste unpleasant and appear cloudy or discolored. Drinking water with secondary contaminants can be extremely off-putting, even if it is safe and may cause people to change their consumption behaviors...
Source: U.S. EPA Since its inception in 1995, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Program has provided nearly $2.37 billion in grants to remediate contaminated sites and sustainably reuse them. The EPA Brownfields Program funds brownfield assessment, cleanup, revolving loans, environmental job training, technical assistan...
The COVID-19 pandemic might have ushered in a remote workplace trend, but that doesn't mean urban landscapes are poised for tumbleweed. Rather, opportunities abound for residential development as the U.S. government incentivizes transitions for high-vacancy office buildings. The White House recently announced details for its Housing Supply and Acti...
Many rural communities across the United States rely on wastewater treatment processes that fall short of environmental and public health protection standards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have introduced several funding mechanisms to improve water and wastewater infrastructure in smal...
Lagoon wastewater treatment systems are mostly found in small, rural and tribal communities in the U.S. and are used as the only method of treating community wastewater. Small communities of fewer than 3,000 residents usually prefer sewage lagoons because of their energy efficiency and low costs. However, recent wastewater treatment requirements, i...
To help public sector officials minimize fire and explosion hazards, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) publishes preventative requirements, fire codes and building standards. Used in alignment with state building codes, the NFPA 820 standard is specific to wastewater collection, transportation and treatment plants. Methane generated b...
In 2020, Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported 9,600 children younger than 16 were poisoned by lead. The same year, the Public Service Commission estimated the number of lead service lines statewide at 173,052. Since then, community leaders have raised the priority levels on lead service line replacement projects to mitigate the threat o...
Are you familiar with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI)? What are the implications for lead and copper rule revisions?How do the revisions help protect your community from lead exposure in drinking water? Since its 1991 publication, the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) has undergone several revisions,...
The phrase "orphaned wells" describes approximately 3.5 million oil or gas wells abandoned by fossil fuel organizations across the U.S. Disconnected because of viability, bankruptcy or neglect, these wells have no legal owners, operators or responsible parties to plug and restore them. Orphaned wells pose serious threats to human and environmental ...
Long-term, comprehensive planning is key to successful wastewater treatment systems. Without a strong plan, a community's ability to facilitate development may be limited by its wastewater infrastructure – or worse, its rivers, lakes, streams and residents' basements may be at risk from failing wastewater infrastructure. A Master Plan will consider...
