Section 604(b) - Water Quality Management Program for Qualified Areawide Planning Agencies (FY 22)

Section 604(b) - Water Quality Management Program for Qualified Areawide Planning Agencies (FY 22)

Illinois EPA’s Section 604(b) Water Quality Management program grant (a.k.a. Section 604(b) Grant Program) is designed to implement the Illinois Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP) and Illinois’ Nonpoint Source Management Program (Illinois EPA, 2013). Grant funds are used to determine the nature, extent, and causes of point and nonpoint source (NPS) water pollution; develop water quality management plans; develop technical and administrative guidance tools for water pollution control; develop preliminary designs for best management practices (BMPs) to address water quality problems; implement administrative water pollution controls; and educate the public about the impact and importance of water pollution control.

Examples of water quality management program projects and activities that have been funded through the Section 604(b) Grant Program are listed below. The list is not all-inclusive, and inclusion of a project or activity does not equate to an automatic eligibility for funding under the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

• Development of a watershed-based plan (WBP);
• Update of an existing watershed plan or WBP;
• Technical assistance for point or NPS water pollution control;
• Environmental and social indicator monitoring to help document the need for water pollution control; and
• Education and outreach to promote awareness and implementation of activities that may help to restore degraded waters or protect waters from degradation due to point or NPS pollution.

Section 604(b) funds awarded under this NOFO are to be allocated to designated Areawide Planning Agencies (APA) established with the Illinois EPA to receive funds in furtherance of the Areawide Water Quality Management Plans (AWQMP) within the APA designated planning areas, and other entities as selected by the Illinois EPA in support of its role as the responsible entity for the Illinois WQMP, for work which has been approved through U.S. EPA as the source of the award funds through the Clean Water Act Section 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Grant Award (C6-99591120).

This is a 100% funded program. Match funding is NOT required. See funding breakdown listing in the Funding Information section of this NOFO.

Details

• Awarding Agency: Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
• CSFA Number: 532-60-0376
• CSFA Popular Name: Section 604b Grant Program
• Funding Opportunity Number: 26-0376-01
• Assistance Listings Number: 66.454
• Announcement Type: Initial Announcement
• Award Type: Non Competitive
• Expected Number of Awards: 4
• Funding Sources: Federal Or Federal Pass Through
• Indirect Costs Allowed: Yes
• Posted Date: 2026-05-04

Funding Source Description

This grant award is utilizing federal pass-through funds received from U.S. EPA and distributed by Illinois EPA under Section 604(b) of the Clean Water Act. Illinois EPA will award a total of $579,398 of federal funds, distributing this amount across four (4) awards to the APAs, and other entities as selected by the Illinois EPA in support of the WQMP, as established with the Illinois EPA to receive pass-through funds through the federal Illinois EPA FY22 604(b) Grant (C6-99591120).

The Areawide Planning Agencies, and other entities, and the federal funds they shall be receiving as pass-through awards through this NOFO are as follows:

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)
Total Award - $326,500.00
FY22 604(b) BASE funding - $109,500.00
FY22 604(b) BIL funding - $217,000.00

Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission (GERPDC)
Total Award - $109,500.00
FY22 604(b) BASE funding - $109,500.00

Southwestern Illinois Metropolitan and Regional Planning Commission (SIMAPC)
Total Award - $43,398.00
FY22 604(b) BASE funding - $43,398.00

Kane DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District
Total Award - $100,000.00
FY22 604(b) BASE funding - $100,000.00

This is a reimbursement program. The Grantee must perform the work, pay project costs, and submit invoice(s) with supporting documentation before Illinois EPA will compensate the Grantee for any approved eligible costs. Illinois EPA shall only make reimbursements to the Grantee and shall reimburse the Grantee no more frequently than monthly.

Intergovernmental Review

This funding opportunity is subject to Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.”

Funding Restrictions

See the Funding Source Description for more information

Indirect Cost Description

In order to charge indirect costs to a grant, the applicant must have an annually negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA). There are three types of NICRAs:

1. Federally Negotiated Rate. Organizations that receive direct federal funding may have an indirect cost rate that was negotiated with the Federal Cognizant Agency. The State of Illinois will accept the federally negotiated rate. The applicant must provide a copy of the federal NICRA.

2. State Negotiated Rate. The applicant must negotiate an indirect cost rate with the State of Illinois if they do not have a Federally Negotiated Rate or elect NOT to use the De Minimis Rate. The indirect cost rate proposal must be submitted to the State of Illinois within 90 days of receipt of the Notice of State Award.

3. De Minimis Rate. An organization that has never received a Federally Negotiated Rate may elect a de minimis rate of 10% of the Project's modified total direct cost (MTDC). Once established, the de minimis rate may be used indefinitely. The State of Illinois must verify the calculation of the MTDC annually in order to accept the de minimis rate.

An applicant has the discretion not to claim payment for indirect costs. Applicants that elect not to claim indirect costs cannot be reimbursed for indirect costs nor use it as match.

Restrictions on Indirect Costs

No

State Award Notices

The Illinois EPA expects to send an award notice via Euna Grants (AmpliFund) to the applicant. This notice is not an authorization to begin performance or incur costs. The notice shall specify the funding terms and specific conditions. The notice must be accepted by an authorized representative of the grant applicant before a grant agreement can be sent to the applicant. No work should begin prior to the execution of a Grant Agreement between the IEPA and selected Grantee.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

The terms and conditions of the award shall be specified in the notice and the grant agreement.

No grantee shall receive a grant or any other State or federal assistance that would provide more than 100 percent of the eligible project costs.

Each grantee must agree to comply with all applicable federal and State requirements. This includes Uniform Administrative Requirements, 2 C.F.R. § 200, Executive Order 12372 “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs”, and GATA. These can have a significant impact on the costs and complexity of a project. Section 604(b) Grant Program grantees will be expected to submit signed assurances that they will comply with all State and federal mandates, including:

a) Business Enterprise Program for Minorities, Females, and Person with Disabilities Act; 30 ILCS 575/: For grant awards of $250,000 or more, the grantee will be required to comply with the Business Enterprise Program for Minorities, Females, and Persons with Disabilities Act, which establishes a goal for contracting with businesses that have been certified as owned and controlled by persons who are minority, female, or who have disabilities. The grantee must document a plan for compliance prior to the establishment of the grant agreement and ensure compliance through the life of the grant.

Successful applicants will be required to execute a formal grant agreement and adhere to all requirements of the Section 604(b) Grant Program and other State and federal contractual requirements.

In the grant agreement, the grantee shall be required to:

• Certify that it does and shall comply with all provisions of the federal Internal Revenue Code (26 USC 1), the Illinois Income Tax Act; (35 ILCS 5/), and all rules promulgated thereunder, including withholding provisions and timely deposits of employee taxes and unemployment insurance taxes.

• Certify that it does and shall comply with the reporting requirements of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006; PL 109–282, September 26, 2006, 120 Stat 1186 with respect to federal Awards greater than or equal to $25,000.

• Certify that it shall adhere to the applicable Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements, which are published in Title 2, Part 200 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and are incorporated herein by reference. See 44 Ill. Adm. Code 7000.30(b)(1)(A).

• Certify that it and its sub-grantees shall: (i) be registered with the federal SAM and registered with the State equivalent of SAM; (ii) be in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State; and (iii) have a valid UEI number. It is the Grantee’s responsibility to remain current with these registrations and requirements. If the Grantee’s status with regard to any of these requirements change, or the certifications made in and information provided in the Uniform Grant Application changes, the Grantee’s must notify the Grantor in accordance with ARTICLE XVIII.

• Submit personnel activity reports accounting on an after-the-fact basis for 100% of the Grantee's employees' actual time, separately indicating the time spent on the Section 604(b) Grant, other grants or projects, vacation or sick leave, and administrative time, if applicable.

Reporting

All projects require quarterly reporting including a Periodic Financial Report, a Periodic Performance Report, and a project details report.

All projects require a final Project report. The report shall document the project tasks and summarize the findings, costs, and benefits of the Project. The Grantee shall submit to the Illinois EPA, by the date specified in the grant agreement, a report explaining the execution of the Project and evaluating the Project’s success.