Educate & Infiltrate - Funding

Green, On-site Solutions also known as Green Infrastructure are really coming to your town to help communities reduce or eliminate urban stormwater pollution. As these techniques are becoming recognized, accepted and installed they are also starting to be funded by State and Federal government.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 makes available $1.2 billion for green infrastructure projects. These projects include: rain gardens, green roofs, pocket wetlands,native vegetation, sustainable streets and parking lots and other landscape-based water-conservation installations.

Federal programs

Clean Water State Revolving Fund

“provides funding to Nonpoint Source and other projects that do not fit into the traditional project categories of wastewater CWSRF or water recycling CWSRF projects”  

• Low interest rates, flexible terms
• Significant funding for nonpoint source pollution control and estuary protection
• Assistance to a variety of borrowers
• Partnerships with other funding sources

In Illinois contact the Illinois EPA Bureau of Water in Springfield, 217-782-1654

Illinois - The Water Pollution Control Loan Program provides low interest loans to units of local government for the construction of wastewater facilities. This loan program is capitalized at an annual amount of $65-$75 million with federal and state funds. In addition, the loan funds being repaid annually ($40-$50 million) are also available for new loan awards. The loans are awarded with a maximum term of 20 years at one-half the market rate (approximately 3 percent). The funds are awarded on a competitive basis with an annual pre-application deadline of March 31.

Clean Water Act Section 319 - Nonpoint Source Pollution

State programs add your state info - send name of program and link

Illinois Rain Garden Initiative

Illinois DNR 319 Grant - Nonpoint Source Pollution

Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act - in progress

Stormwater Fees - "Pay for Use"

Exerpts from Stormwater Funding Guidance Manual from The Center for Watershed Protection

"There are four rate structure concepts or methodologies used as examples in this guidance that are typical of those adopted in the more than five hundred communities that have established stormwater utilities. These examples base their fees on impervious area, a combination of impervious area and gross area, impervious area and the percentage of imperviousness, and gross property area and the intensity of development."

"If the funding approach is deemed to be a tax, then tax-exempt entities such as churches, schools, state agencies and federal government facilities will contest their obligation to pay. If a service fee approach
ES-2 is used, the reasonableness of the rate structure and its relationship to the service being provided may be challenged"

"User/service fees are charges based upon the proprietary right of the governing body permitting the use of the instrumentality involved. Fees have traits that distinguish them from taxes. First, they are charged in exchange for a particular governmental service which benefits the party paying the fee. Second, they are voluntary, in that the party paying the fee has the option of not utilizing the governmental service and thereby avoiding the charge. Third, the amount of the fee is designed to recover the actual cost of the service being provided. In some cases there may be little practical difference between a tax and a fee, but the legal distinctions between the two are important."